The Power of Love
by Karen Weasley
Summary: Fred and George Weasley know what fun is, now read about how Karen and Lindsay Bennet show them what true friednship and true love are. Together, they will discover just what the power of love can overcome.
1. First Impressions

First Impressions

Karen and Lindsay withdrew their heads from the window and set off down the corridor. They walked for a good way until they spotted an empty compartment and made for it. However, just as they reached for the handle, a boy shot from nowhere and blocked their path. He sneered at them and said, "Compartment's taken."

Karen stepped forward and put her hands on her hips. "No it's not. There's no one in there unless both they and their luggage have invisibility cloaks on." Lindsay clapped a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter.

The boy glared at Karen as she looked steadily back. "Maybe you didn't understand me; you are first years and I'm a third year."

"So what?" Karen replied.

"Yeah, we got here first so it's our compartment," Lindsay added.

"Wrong," snarled the boy. "Seniority wins; now move before I make you!"

Karen took another step forward and planted herself in front of the door. "No, we will not move," she said simply.

The boy reached a hand into his back pocket and whipped out his wand then pointed it at the two girls and cried, "Flipendo!" and the girls flew down the hall where they crashed into two boys who had been walking down the hall.

"Whoa!" one of the boys yelled as Karen landed on top of him. "And for today's weather," he continued in a joking tone, "cloudy with a chance of falling twins!"

"You know, Fred," said the other boy while he helped Lindsay to her feet. "I always said that we were attractive, but I never thought it'd happen _this_ fast. You both alright?"

"I think so," Lindsay replied, shakily. "We had a bit of a run in with an older student over a compartment."

"Really?" said the boy named Fred raising an eyebrow. "George, I think we should have a word with this boy about how to treat a lady."

"Fred," returned the other boy, "I completely agree. Let's go!"

The two boys set off down the hall and knocked at the compartment door of the boy who had attacked Karen and Lindsay. Lindsay shot her sister an anxious look to which Karen responded with a nod, and the two of them came running after the boys. The boy that had jinxed them came to the door and smirked at the group. Now that she had a chance to really look at him, Karen thought he closely resembled a troll; he had the same kind of face and smell.

"What d'you losers want?" he sneered at the boys.

"We would like to pay you back for a certain attack on two young ladies that happened a few minutes ago."

"Yes. If you would kindly step out here, please; it won't take very long."

"This boy has to be the most stupid person to ever breathe air," Karen thought to herself as he actually left the compartment and faced the two boys who instantly began to beat him up. After about ten seconds, the twin boys stood up and beckoned the girls back down the hall.

"Thank you for your time!" one of the boys called over his shoulder to the boy who was still attempting to rouse himself from the floor. "Well," he continued in a normal voice, "now that that's been taken care of, care to introduce yourselves, ladies?"

"I'm Karen Bennet and this is my twin sister, Lindsay. Nice to meet you!"

"Very nice," Lindsay added. "Thanks so much for your help. Who are you two anyway?"

Karen caught the boys sending a sly grin to each other before the one replied, "Well, all I'm gonna say is that one of us is Fred and the other is George; you figure out which is which."

"Do you greet all of your new acquaintances this way?" Lindsay asked grinning.

"Almost," one of the twins replied. "It's an interesting test, especially on the girls."

"Yep," the other agreed, heartily. "It lets us know what we can and can't get away with around them. So, which is which?"

Karen and Lindsay stopped and looked the boys up and down, looking for any differences, but they couldn't find any. Then, Karen had an idea and looked directly at them saying, "Fred." While neither boy made any obvious movements, the boy on the left's eyes brightened just enough to give Karen her answer. She pointed at him and repeated his name, and to her delight, the boys' jaws dropped in response.

"How the bloody Hell did you do that?" they yelled in unison as Karen and Lindsay both burst out laughing. "Not even our own mother can tell us apart!" Fred added, incredulously.

"It's an old twin test!" Karen exclaimed with glee. "It's how our mom used to tell us apart when we were little. We used to try and drive her crazy by switching names until one day, she realized that calling one name will get a tiny response from the right person. It's human nature to perk up at the sound of your name, and so it's a fail save test, even on twins." Fred and George looked at her very impressed as she concluded her explanation. "So, you're Fred and you're George; never try to switch on us cause we will know…just fair warning. Anyway, I appreciate your help with Troll-face back there, but won't you be in trouble for beating him up? And I don't just mean from teachers, either."

Fred shrugged as he said, "Probably. Not that it matters to us; he deserved it."

"He's too stupid to do anything too bad, anyway," George added nonchalantly. "His name's Marcus Flint: Slytherin 3rd year."

"How do you know?" Lindsay asked skeptically.

"Our older brother, Percy, gave us a list of people to stay away from and one of them was that git. You're gonna want to avoid him, especially after this," Fred advised.

"Why's that?" Karen asked. "You just said he was too stupid to do anything too bad, so why would it matter if he did?"

"Cause he's too stupid to do anything to _us_, but you're girls. He could really hurt you and it's better safe than sorry where a Slytherin is concerned."

"Well, thanks for your concern, but I don't think that's very likely just yet, right Linds?"

"Right," agreed Lindsay. "He deserves a bit of payback from us first. The question is: what do we do?"

"Well, I was thinking getting a month's worth of detentions ought to be just about right, you agree?"

"Sounds fair to me," replied Lindsay.

"You're gonna prank him after he's been beaten up? You two are my kind of girls!" George said, impressed.

"Hold up a minute," said Fred stepping forward. "It sounds like you're planning a prank that involves using a teacher. You're gonna need some help to pull this one off."

"Any ideas on who we should go to?" Karen asked.

"Yeah," replied Fred.

"Us!" cried George. "We're the masters of practical jokes and we're at your service ladies."

Karen shot a look at Lindsay who nodded eagerly. "Alright then," Karen said. "We accept your help."

"Great!" Fred smiled. "Come on in here and we'll figure it all out. This is gonna be great!"

Several hours later found the four jokesters sitting in the compartment surrounded by crumpled pieces of parchment. Fred finished writing on a fresh sheet then threw his quill down triumphantly and said to his companions: "Got it! This one'll work, I'm sure of it!"

"I hope so," said Lindsay. "I don't fancy being the ones getting in trouble."

"Trust us, it'll work," dismissed George.

"Besides," added Karen, "this plan leaves a window of opportunity to run if we have to. We'll be fine, just relax. And even if we do get in trouble, Mum won't mind."

"It's not Mum I'm worried about," said Lindsay darkly.

"Don't be stupid," said Karen. "How would he find out?"

"Umm…excuse us, we're still here," chimed Fred. "Who's the problem besides Troll-face down the hall?"

Lindsay shot a terrified look at Karen who said simply: "It's just our father. He's a bit strict so we like to be careful around him. Anyway, now you know a bit about us, why don't you repay the favor?"

"Yeah, what's your family like? I know I've heard the name Weasley before but I can't remember any details."

"Well," said Fred, "the only reason I can think of for you hearing the name would be because we're pureblood."

"Of course, we're not exactly the most highly regarded, mind you," added George. "We don't quite fall under the typical parameters."

"So you're not jerks," said Karen. "Doesn't your dad work at the Ministry?"

"Yep, but don't get too excited about it," Fred responded.

"Dad works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office so it's not very interesting," George explained.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by an old witch in the hall pushing a cart-load of sweets. She stopped in front of their compartment and asked kindly, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Karen and Lindsay sprang to their feet at once and hurriedly crossed to the woman. While Lindsay perused the woman's wares, Karen turned questioningly to the boys and asked, "Aren't you getting anything?"

Fred and George exchanged looks. "Uh…not this time," said Fred. "Our mum made us sandwiches so we're set."

Karen eyed them suspiciously then turned to the woman and made her request. Lindsay reentered the compartment and began eating her candy. Several minutes later, Karen reentered carrying an armful of sweets which she tipped onto the seat next to her. Fred, George, and Lindsay all stared at her in amazement. "You bought all of that?" Lindsay cried.

"Mhmm," replied Karen through a Chocolate Frog, "but it's not all for me. Some of it's for those two," she pointed at Fred and George who looked thunderstruck. "There's no need to look so surprised; I know liars when I see them. Your mum may have made you sandwiches but that's not why you weren't going to buy any candy."

"Alright you got us," laughed Fred. "The truth is, with nine people to take care of, one low profile Ministry job doesn't exactly cut it."

"We're not complaining, mind," added George quickly.

"Not at all," agreed Fred. "We wouldn't trade our lives for anything."

"Please help yourselves to that candy; I honestly did buy it to share," Karen said and Fred and George each helped themselves to the pile. "Nine people, really?" Karen continued in amazement.

"Oh yeah," said Fred. "Our family's huge."

"Who all lives in your house?" asked Lindsay.

"Well, there's Mum and Dad," began George, counting on his fingers, "Bill who's in seventh year, Charlie who's in sixth year, Percy who's in third, the two of us, our younger brother Ron, and our little sister Ginny."

"It must be so nice having such a big family," said Lindsay wistfully.

"It's just us and Mum and Dad with our family," Karen added. "We've always wished we had other people to go to older than us besides our parents."

"Mum and Dad go at it a lot and…well, it's just hard being in the middle all the time, so we get a bit lonely."

"That's why we're so close," Karen said with a small smile. "We're all we have most of the time."

"Not anymore," said Fred.

"What d'you mean?" asked Karen, confused.

"Now you've got us too!" Fred explained beaming.

"Yeah, no matter what happens, you've got us on your side now too," added George.

"But you've only known us for a few hours," whispered Lindsay. "How can you say something like that so quickly?"

"Dunno," said Fred, "it's just a feeling we have. You can't outwit a Slytherin third year on your first day of school without becoming friends. Besides, we trust you; is that so wrong?"

"No, it isn't," breathed Karen. "Not wrong, just…a bit strange for us. We've never had real friends before."

"Well then allow us to be the first," Fred grinned. Both he and George stood as one and bowed low to the girls as they said together: "Fred and George Weasley, original pranksters and jokers at your service ladies."

Karen and Lindsay both laughed but stood and shook hands with their newfound friends just as a voice echoed magically through the train saying: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."

The four friends looked at each other with a mixture of apprehension and excitement then turned to their trunks and pulled out their robes. "Mum said we get sorted when we first get there: how do they do that?" Karen asked the twins.

"Dunno," said Fred as he pulled on his roves. "Mum and Dad just called it The Sorting Ceremony and Charlie and Percy refused to tell us."

"What houses have your family been in?" Lindsay asked as she sat back down.

"Gryffindor," answered George. "You could say there's a lot of pressure for us to be the same. What about you?"

"Mum was in Gryffindor but she's a lot like a Ravenclaw too," Karen said sitting down beside her sister. "Dad didn't go to Hogwarts, though. I think he went to Durmstrang."

"You think?" Fred repeated raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah," Karen said casually. "It's not like he sits down to talk to us ever. He's always busy with something or other."

Fred stared at her in disbelief. "You mean he never even finds time to…"

At that moment, a long piercing whistle sounded, cutting across Fred's words. "We're here!" Lindsay squealed running to the window. Karen breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.

Suddenly the sound of compartment doors opening was heard echoing all over the train as hundreds of students began pushing their way into the hall. "Guess we should go then," George said as he stood and opened the door.

The four of them forced their way out into the corridor and followed the crowd out onto the platform. They were standing in what appeared to be a village built in the shadows of the surrounding mountains. "This must be Hogsmeade," Karen said excitedly. "Mum told us about it, remember Linds?"

"Oh yeah!" said Lindsay. "It's the only entire wizarding village in Britain, right?"

"Yep," said Fred looking around wistfully. "But we don't get to come here till third year!"

"Don't worry," said Karen bracingly. "I'm sure there's a load to do inside the school until then."

Just then, a voice rang out above all the din calling, "Firs' years over here! Firs' years this way!"

Fred grabbed Karen by the wrist just as George did the same to Lindsay and together they fought their way over to the voice. Karen and Lindsay both gasped in disbelief at the source. The voice belonged to a giant of a man who towered over the entire scene. His face was mostly hidden by a mass of tangled black hair and beard, but his beetle black eyes smiled down gently. "'Ello!" said the giant. "Name's Hagrid: Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

"Nice to meet you," Fred grinned. "I'm Fred Weasley, that's my twin brother George, and these are our friends: Karen and Lindsay Bennet."

"More Weasleys, 'eh? Just head right over there to them boats. The four of ya'll fit in one and we'll be off ter Hogwarts in a minute."

Fred, George, Karen, and Lindsay clambered into one of the remaining boats and waited for Hagrid and the rest of the first years. "You alright?" Fred asked Karen as they waited. "You look like something's bothering you."

"I'm alright," Karen whispered. "It's just…I've waited so long to come here and now I'm so happy; I feel like my life's finally beginning after all these years."

Fred nodded and smiled, "It is! All of our lives are. That's what's so great about Hogwarts; it's a place to start over."

Karen beamed at Fred as Hagrid climbed into the last boat and shouted, "Forward!", and the boats shot off from the shore into the night.


	2. Why is Everything so Confusing?

Why is Everything so Confusing?

_**Hi there! I know I jumped four years from the first chapter, but I figured the story would be too slow if I left all that stuff in. If anyone wants to read more about what happens in- between their first and fifth year, let me know in a review, and I'll publish some one-shots and/or short stories. Please enjoy and review! :)**_

Four years had passed since the four jokesters had met on the train to Hogwarts, and they were closer than ever. During those four years, the team had successfully pranked half the school's population, won themselves more detentions than anyone else, found and learned how to use the Marauder's Map, and come up with their own system of communication that no teacher or prefect could ever crack. Fred and George had also both made the Quidditch team as beaters and become mini-heroes of Gryffindor house.

Karen and Lindsay never really minded that most of the attention went to Fred and George; as far as they were concerned, they were just there to help and were proud of the role they played. The girls had also won themselves the reputation of being the only two people in the world who could tell the boys what to do and actually have them listen. Even the professors acknowledged their power and frequently asked them to speak to the boys about their behavior and homework habits. Neither girl, of course, had the nerve to ever carry out their professors' wishes and simply continued to aid the boys in their insane plans.

Now, if you as the reader are currently thinking to yourself, "This is just too perfect to last; what's the catch?" your answer would be emotions. The key to any boy-girl friendship is to either not have feelings for each other or have feelings that match. Up until now, this particular issue had not been present in the "Fantastic Foursome", as it was called. However, the week surrounding Gryffindor's second Quidditch match brought all of that to an end.

One night, Karen and Lindsay were sitting together on Karen's bed having their nightly "twin talk" when Karen brought up the upcoming match. "Do you think they have a chance?" Karen asked. "I mean, after that last match, they have a lot of catching up to do."

"Of course they have a chance!" Lindsay replied, confidently. "This is the best team Gryffindor has seen in years! They are going to dominate Ravenclaw on Friday; just wait and see."

"I don't know…" Karen said, mischievously. "Maybe the boys on the team will be too distracted to play at their best."

"What d'you mean?" Lindsay asked.

"Well, I was simply referring to a certain Ms. Lindsay Bennett that a certain Mr. George Weasley can't seem to take his eyes off of. I heard that the last time she watched a practice, he actually almost fell off his broom because he was staring at her."

Lindsay went a brilliant shade of scarlet and whispered; "It's not funny," as Karen rocked with laughter at her sister's reaction. "Oh shut up, you!" she laughed and threw the pillow at her twin. Her laughter didn't last long, however, as a piece of paper suddenly floated down onto her lap. She picked it up curiously, and then grinned wickedly at her sister who was still laughing. "Well, well, well," she began slyly, "what do we have here?"

Karen stopped laughing and leaned in to see what her sister was looking at. When she realized what it was, her face drained of all color then turned beet red as she tried to snatch the paper from Lindsay. "Lin, that's mine; gimme it!"

"I know it's yours," Lindsay taunted. "That's you in the picture, but who's this with his arm around you? Oh!" she cried in fake shock. "Is that Fred Weasley? Now why would you be sleeping with this particular picture under your pillow? Does little Karen have a crush on a Weasley twin?"

"No I certainly do not!" Karen cried indignantly. "Now give my picture back!"

"Not until you tell me the truth," Lindsay said seriously. "Do you or do you not have a crush on Fred Weasley. Fess up."

Karen sat silent for a moment then exclaimed desperately, "Ok, ok I do, alright? I don't know how it happened, and I don't know when, I just know that I do. Can I have my picture back now, please?"

Lindsay nodded in satisfaction and handed the photo back. Karen carefully placed the picture back in its place then gently replaced the pillow on top. Turning to her sister she whispered, "Promise you won't say anything?"

"You didn't even need to ask," Lindsay assured. "We're twins; keeping secrets goes with the territory."

"Thanks, Linds," Karen said, hugging her sister. "I really was serious about George. He really does like you; I can tell."

Lindsay went slightly red again as she said, "I hope so. I really do care about him, and I want him to like me so much it hurts. Is that the way you feel about Fred?"

"Yeah it is," Karen admitted. "But I don't think he likes me; not like that anyway. He's the master of pranks and being loose…I'm just too much of a goody-goody for him. I mean, I help him with his pranks sometimes, but I don't think it's enough."

"I do," Lindsay said. "He'd be nuts not to like you. Maybe he just doesn't want to ruin your friendship, so he's trying to keep it under raps. Give it time, it'll happen."

"I hope so."

Two days later, Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw thoroughly at Quidditch and then proceeded to throw the loudest party ever back in the common room. Karen and Lindsay approached the portrait hole a bit late, having played Fred and George's lookouts as they snuck into Hogsmeade for drinks and sweets. The boys had already safely returned to the party, and the girls were very anxious to join them. As they opened the portrait hole, a deluge of noise engulfed them, and they quickly jumped in and closed the portrait behind them. They looked around for several minutes before spotting the twins in the center of attention, as usual. It was only an instant before the boys saw them and hurried over, beaming.

"Excellent job as always ladies!" George called to them when he got within earshot. "Now, how about we enjoy this party?"

Karen and Lindsay nodded eagerly, and Fred and George pulled them through the crowd to the middle of the room. For several minutes, they simply enjoyed themselves: eating, drinking, and chatting about the match. Suddenly, George looked down at Lindsay and nodded as though confirming a decision. He stood up on a nearby chair and called for the room to be quiet. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the greatest house in Hogwarts, I have an announcement. For some time now, I have been debating on whether or not to say this, and I have finally made my decision. As much as it will pain you ladies, I am about to no longer be single, I hope." Many people raised a curious eyebrow at this, and Karen felt Lindsay stiffen beside her. "For these past few years, I have been friends with a wonderful pair of young ladies, and as a result of that friendship, I am now honored to ask:" he gently took Lindsay's hand knelt down in front of her, "Lindsay, will you go out with me?"

Lindsay stood stunned for a moment gazing down at George before finally nodding. "Yes…yes, George; I will go out with you!"

George gave her a huge grin and stood up. Then, before Lindsay could say or do anything, he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her on the lips. The room erupted in wolf-whistles and cheers as the newly formed couple broke apart and beamed at each other. Karen couldn't be happier for her sister; she ran up and hugged her tightly, muffling Lindsay's squeals of delight into her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fred thump George on the back in congratulations and closed her eyes, silently praying that she was next.

The party went along quite merrily after that, and Karen spent a good deal of her time watching as the boys entertained the entire room. As happy as she was for her sister, she couldn't help but notice how Fred's eyes seemed to be constantly darting over to Angelina Johnson just to make sure she was watching. A strange, burning feeling erupted in the pit of her stomach every time he did this, and she found herself fighting the inexplicable urge to punch Angelina in the face. At one point during the evening, Karen was talking and laughing with George and Lindsay near the fire when she suddenly heard more wolf-whistles and cheers akin to the ones she had heard when George kissed Lindsay. She and the couple, along with several curious others, got up and walked over to the large crowd that had formed around two people currently kissing each other senseless. Karen peered over other people's heads until she could get a good look at who it was. She felt her stomach plummet as she finally saw them. There was no mistaking that flaming red hair; Fred Weasley was kissing Angelina Johnson.

Karen backed away from the sight, feeling her heart break as she did so. Her brain didn't seem to be functioning properly as she moved slowly away from the group of people. Suddenly, she backed into someone that turned out to be her sister. "Hey, Karen! What's going-Karen…are you alright? Sis, what is it?"

Karen could not speak; she simply stared at her sister with a look of utter confusion and pain then, without warning, she turned on her heel and ran up to the girl's dormitory, shoving people aside as she ran. "Karen, wait!" Lindsay cried as George pushed the crowd aside to see what was going on. Upon seeing his twin with Angelina, he tapped Lindsay on the shoulder and pointed. Lindsay gaped at the pair then let out a low groan of understanding. "Oh no…" she breathed. "Poor Karen!"

"So she does like him?" George questioned. "I always wondered, you know. She just seemed so attached to him."

Lindsay nodded miserably. "Yes she likes him. We just talked about it the other night, and I told her that he liked her but was too afraid to show it. Oh, George: she's gonna hate me!"

"No she won't," George soothed. "She's just hurt right now; she won't be mad at you. You had every reason to tell her that; you thought he liked her, it's not a crime. I'm just worried about what this'll do to our quartet. How can we all hang out with that much tension in the area?" He looked sideways at Lindsay who shook her head in response. "You're not having second thoughts already, are you? I don't think you breaking up is going to make Karen any happier."

"Of course I'm not having second thoughts!" Lindsay cried, indignantly. "I've wanted this for-" she stopped suddenly and turned away, thoroughly embarrassed.

"What was that?" George teased. "How long have you wanted me, exactly? Come on, you can tell me."

"Since second year when you and Fred saved us from those spiders in the Forbidden Forest," Lindsay muttered. "I thought you were my hero from then on out."

"I try," George said, puffing out his chest, importantly.

"What are we gonna do about Fred?" Lindsay asked.

George thought for a moment before answering. "Nothing yet: we should wait until we see a problem so that we don't accidentally cause one. And speaking of problems, as much as I want you to stay with me, you should go check on Karen; she's been alone long enough."

Lindsay sighed and nodded, resigning herself to the rather unpleasant result she was sure to face. "I hate seeing her like this, but I know you're right. I'm sorry, George."

He leaned down and kissed her gently then said, lightly, "Don't worry about it. I have a twin, too, and I know the rule: twin above all. Get goin'."

Lindsay beamed at George then slowly made her way through the sea of people and up the stairs to the girl's dorms after her sister. She knocked gingerly on the door that bore the plaque "Fifth Years" and announced who she was. Despite receiving no reply, Lindsay opened the door and peered around for Karen, who was laying face-down on her bed, unmoving. At first, Lindsay was sure Karen was in tears, but her body was not shaking. "Merlin, what control she has!" Lindsay thought to herself. Quietly, she walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Hey," she whispered, touching Karen's shoulder gently. "You ok?" Stupid question, she knew, but she couldn't stop it coming out of her lips. Karen's only response was a violent shake of the head. "Wanna talk?" Lindsay asked; again, another violent refusal. "Ok, that's it! At least look at me, Karen. I know you're upset, but I really need you to talk to me about it."

Karen grudgingly sat up and looked at her sister from glassy eyes. "What?" she said, unemotionally.

"I wanna talk to you about what you saw downstairs."

Karen let out a small, mirthless laugh. "What is there to talk about, dear sister? He likes someone else: the end, goodbye, subject closed."

"So that's it; you're just gonna give up?" Lindsay asked, incredulously.

Karen simply shrugged. "What else can I do? I have nothing on that Quidditch-playing bimbo, and don't you dare tell me I do!" she added as Lindsay opened her mouth. "I'm happy for you and George, really I am, but please don't spend any time trying to get me hooked up! I'm not interested in anyone except Fred, but he's obviously not interested in me so that's that." Following the conclusion of her vent, her face softened, and she gently grasped her sister's shoulder. "Now, get back downstairs to your boyfriend, and quit worrying about me. I just need some time on my own, and I'll be fine. Go on: I know you want to be with him."

Lindsay hesitated but recognized the look in her twin's eye and nodded. She got off the bed and walked back to the door and turned back with her hand on the knob. "You sure you'll be alright?"

"I promise," Karen said with a half smile. "Just go: it'll make me feel better if you're enjoying yourself."

Lindsay smiled at her sister then started down the stairs, pulling the door gently closed behind her. As soon as she was gone, Karen pulled the curtains around her bed and curled up in the middle, staring at the picture she usually hid under her pillow. She had known Lindsay would be up to check on her and had resisted the urge to cry until after she was gone. Now, being alone in the dark dorm, she found the release for her broken heart and sobbed unrestrainedly into her sheets.

She hated crying more than anything in the world; she thought it was the ultimate sign of weakness. There were always better methods for keeping her emotions under raps, and she always found them. However, drastic times call for drastic measures, and the way her heart felt required drastic measures. How could Fred have done this to her? How could he not have seen how she felt, or had she hidden it too well? What was wrong with her; why didn't he like her? Was it her fault, or was Angelina just better than her? Why did all the good stuff happen to her sister? Why couldn't anything good happen to her for once?

"Oh, Fred…" she sobbed, staring at the moving portrait of the two of them from their first summer together. "WHY?" she screamed before burying her face in the pillow and crying until she fell asleep.

The next morning, Karen had regained her composure but had lost none of her pain. She spent the next several weeks ignoring Fred and Angelina every time she saw them, and spent most of her time either with George and Lindsay, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, or Ginny. She loved being with Ginny; despite her age, she was very wise and helpful.

Fred couldn't understand what was going on. He was happy with Angelina, but he felt like he had lost something very important in losing Karen. The worst part was, he couldn't figure out why she was all of a sudden ignoring him; what had he done wrong? Every time he went to ask Lindsay or George what was going on, they would just shake their heads and change the subject. Nothing was the way he was used to anymore, he hated it. He didn't want to hurt Angelina, and he wasn't sure that she was the problem. Why did girls have to be so confusing, anyway? What was he supposed to do?

The remainder of their fifth year passed in this manner; Fred and Karen not really speaking and George and Lindsay keeping their relationship as private as they could as to protect Karen's feelings. In an attempt to save their dying friendship, George asked his mum if Karen and Lindsay could come over that summer. Of course, Mrs. Weasley approved instantly and all the arrangements were made. Despite her attitude towards Fred, Karen was looking forward to her summer with her favorite family. One thing was for certain, this was going to be one heck of a summer.


	3. What do I Feel Towards You?

What Do I Feel Towards You?

A few weeks into the summer holidays, Karen and Lindsay arrived at the Burrow. Fred had spent a great deal more time thinking than was usual for him and had arrived at a conclusion at last. He had no idea (and no hope) of figuring out what was wrong with Karen. His only hope was to use the remainder of the summer trying to repair whatever damage had been done during the school year. Karen came to the Burrow with the attitude of winning Fred from Angelina, no matter what she had to do.

At the conclusion of the term, Karen and Lindsay had spent a good deal of time together, discussing what would be the best next move for Karen. Upon voicing the question of what does she have that I don't, Lindsay suggested a turning of the tables. "The point isn't for you to sit here asking that question; what you want to do is make Fred ask that question. You have to make him wonder what he ever saw in Angelina, and the best way to do that is to make him crazy jealous."

Karen was not immediately thrilled with this idea. She normally avoided being noticed by guys other than the Weasleys and Harry because she hated putting herself out there. For Merlin's sake, she had never even looked at any other guy than Fred in almost three years; who could she possibly choose. "I dunno, Lindsay. I'm really not that good with guys when I'm serious. How am I supposed to trick Fred into believing I'm into another guy? And besides that, who am I going to flirt with?"

Lindsay waved a hand and replied, "Don't worry about being convincing; he's a Weasley, and George told me that they are naturally paranoid. As for who you should flirt with, it should be somebody that Fred simply cannot stand for maximum effect. Can you think of anybody?"

Karen nodded, darkly. "Yeah I can. Fred absolutely despises Cedric Diggory; he beat Gryffindor in quidditch last year, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that's right! Well then, there's your man. Not bad all things considered; I was afraid you'd have to go with Malfoy or something."

"Ew, no!" Karen squealed. "It's going to be hard enough with Cedric, but flirting with Malfoy; I'd sooner kiss a ferret!"

Now, sitting at the kitchen table at the Burrow, Karen felt more nervous than ever about her plan to get Fred. Lindsay, noticing this, quickly called to Fred, "Hey, Fred; how are you and Angelina getting on?"

"We're brilliant!" he called back. "We're gonna meet up at the Quidditch World Cup later this summer."

"Dad always gets tickets from work," George explained to a surprised Lindsay. "He got them for you guys too." George continued in a low voice to the girls, "He's driving me absolutely insane! All he's talked about for weeks is how much he can't wait to see Angelina again," he rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I just think he wants to snog her some more; it's so disgusting!" Lindsay shot a quick glance in her sister's direction at the conclusion of George's rant to see her eyes harden with resolution; the plan was back on in full force.

The morning they were all set to leave the Burrow for the World Cup, Karen got up extra early to make herself look as appealing as possible. She chose her shortest shorts that showed off her long legs and her favorite summer shirt that clung to her body and showed off her curves. Completing the outfit were her sandals with high heels. She had heard from Mr. Weasley that they would be meeting up with the Diggorys to catch their portkey on Stoat's Head Hill, and she wanted to begin her plan as quickly as she could as not to lose her nerve.

As they walked through the village and up the hill towards their portkey, Karen stuck with Lindsay, Hermione, and Ginny near the back while Fred and George stayed close behind their father in the front. Karen was a bundle of nerves; what if they plan didn't work? What if Fred didn't even notice, and she got stuck with a guy she wasn't interested in? Fortunately, perhaps, she didn't have much time to dwell on her nerves. Halfway up the hill, they finally saw Mr. Diggory coming to meet them with Cedric close behind. She took this opportunity to get a closer look at Cedric and made some quick conclusions. "This may not be as hard as I originally thought," she conceded to Lindsay in an undertone. "He still has nothing on Fred, though."

Lindsay grinned and muttered back, "So there's no chance of you accidentally falling for pretty-boy Diggory, then?"

Karen looked back at Cedric then at Fred, and her face went red. "No chance at all," she sighed.

By this time, the two groups had met up, and Mr. Weasley was making hurried introductions. "This is Amos Diggory, everyone; he works with me at the Ministry, and I'm sure you all know his son, Cedric."

Cedric looked around the group nodding at everyone and lingering slightly longer on Karen. "Morning all!" he said, cheerfully. "How is everyone today?"

There was a general murmur of "Good" from all of them except Fred and George who merely nodded and continued up the hill alone. "Very well, thank you; how are you?" Karen called above the rest. Lindsay shot her sister a look and rolled her eyes when Karen looked at her, confused.

Cedric, however, beamed even more at Karen's response and fell behind his father to walk with her. "I'm well, thank you Karen."

"You know who I am?" Karen asked, surprised.

"Of course," Cedric replied. "Yours is a hard face to forget."

Karen blushed at the compliment; he was making this so easy for her. "So, how's your summer been?"

"Alright: haven't done that much, though. I'm really excited for the match, aren't you?"

"Oh yes!" Karen said eagerly. "This may seem kind of stupid, but how good of a match is this supposed to be? I don't really follow the professional league."

"This match is going to be the best match ever!" Cedric said excitedly. "Ireland vs. Bulgaria: the best chasers in the world against the best seeker."

"Who's that?"

"The best seeker: it's Victor Krum; he plays for Bulgaria. He's supposedly only eighteen years old, as well."

"That's incredible," Karen said in awe. "Who do you think will win?"

"Ireland for sure," Cedric said. "They have the better team."

They continued discussing the upcoming match with Cedric throwing in an occasional recap of a previous match until they crested the hill. Cedric, with all of his quidditch training, appeared to have had no difficulty in the climb, but Karen neared the top of the hill puffing and panting with the effort. Noticing this, Cedric took her hand in his and put the other around her waist to aid her in the final few steps. Lindsay took note of this and quickly turned to see Fred's reaction which, she was pleased to see, was one of shock and anger.

"Thank you," Karen managed finally.

"Not at all," Cedric replied smiling. "It is, after all, the gentlemanly thing to do."

Fred rolled his eyes and glared at Cedric until his father called them all to the center of the area, so that they could take their portkey. Harry and Hermione hung back, confused as the rest of the group took their places around an old boot that was lying there. Karen lay down in the grass and took hold of the boot. Within seconds, Cedric was laying on her other side at very close quarters due to the number of people that had to fit. An instant later, she felt someone else on her other side and turned to see Fred taking hold of the portkey. She smiled to herself; could it really be working already?

Within a minute, the portkey left Stoat's Head Hill and flew them to the site for the match. Soon after their departure, the entire group had landed helter-skelter in the grass. Karen had landed on someone and quickly rolled over to see Cedric grinning up at her from the ground. "Not a bad landing all things considered," he whispered with a glint in his eye that Karen didn't quite understand. She blushed again and muttered an apology. As she was trying to raise herself from her awkward position, she felt a hand grab her upper arm and haul her to her feet.

"There you go, Karen," she heard Fred say as he lingered at her side almost protectively. "Better hurry up," he continued, smiling. "Dad says he wants to get to the tent ASAP." He slid his hand down her arm to catch her hand and pulled her towards the rest of the group and away from Cedric. As they walked away, Fred shot Cedric a look that combined smugness and unspoken threats which Karen missed. Fred turned to face forward again as he continued to ponder the strange feelings he had been experiencing today. Why was he all of a sudden so protective of Karen? After all, she could very easily take care of herself; she had proven that on numerous occasions. True, he wasn't very fond of Cedric and wanted him nowhere near his friend, but that still didn't explain why he was now refusing to let her out of his sight. He suddenly felt Karen's hand tighten around his own and looked down at her concerned face.

"Are you alright, Fred?" she asked quietly. "You look like something's on your mind. What's wrong?" 

"I-" Fred began, unsure what to say to her. He knew she could see through any of his lies in a minute, but he really didn't feel like telling her what he was thinking at that moment. "It's nothing," he said finally.

"It's something," Karen insisted. "Look, I know we haven't really spoken in a while, but you can still trust me; I'm your friend…that hasn't changed."

"I know, it's just that…I really don't know what's wrong," he admitted. Merlin, had he missed talking to her. As great a friend as George was, there was something special about talking to Karen that he never experienced with anyone else. "Karen," he said after a moment, "are we good?"

"What?" she asked confused.

"Are we, you know, okay again? I've missed you, and I'm just wondering if I should get used to you not being there anymore."

Karen looked up at him stunned. She stared into his eyes and saw concern and…was that pain? How could she have done this to him; the boy she loved? "Oh, Fred," she whispered. "Of course we're okay! I've missed you too!" she cried flinging her arms around his chest and burying her head in his neck. "I'm so sorry."

Fred let out his breath slowly in relief. He hugged her back and gently rested his cheek on the top of her head. Then it finally hit him; the reason he had been so protective of her around Cedric, it was so simple! Karen was the girl he had feelings for, not Angelina.

"Uh, Fred?" Karen called, gently. "I kinda can't breathe with you holding on that tightly."

"Wha- oh sorry Karen!" Fred said as he quickly released her and took a step back, grinning sheepishly. "Well…um…we should, you know, head for the tent now," he stuttered.

"Y-yeah we should," Karen agreed, shakily. The two of them began walking after the group of redheads through the sea of tents.


	4. The Quidditch World Cup

The Quidditch World Cup

The Weasley party spent the next few hours preparing themselves for the match. When the vendors appeared, walking through the tents and selling their wares, the four excitedly examined everything for sale. When they found the vendor selling Irish Rosettes and flags, Karen and Lindsay bought one of each for themselves then turned to Fred and George.

"We can't," George sighed. "We gave all our money to Bagman for that bet, remember?"

"Oh, that's right," Lindsay said, pouting.

"It's fine," Fred said. "Let's go, we should get back to the others."

A few minutes later as they stood outside the tent, Fred looked around then cried out, "Oy! Where's Karen?"

"I'm here!" Karen panted as she finally caught up with them. "Here, these are for you two," she said shoving a rosette and a flag into Fred's arms. "You can fight out who gets what."

"You bought these for us?" Fred asked, amazed.

"No, I stole them," Karen said, rolling her eyes at him. "Of course I bought them for you. You would have bought them except for that bet, so it's no big deal."

"Wow! Thanks Karen!" George said taking the flag from Fred and sticking it in his belt for safe keeping then wrapping his arm around Lindsay's waist and pulling her inside the tent.

"Yeah, thanks Karen!" Fred echoed as he tried to pin the rosette to his sweater.

"Here, let me help with that," Karen laughed as Fred jabbed himself trying to put the back on the pin. She gently took the pin from him and slid it into his sweater then reached up the sweater with her other hand to put the back on. As she removed her hand from under his sweater, her fingertips lightly brushed against his chest through his tight t-shirt. Karen blushed a furious red, and she lowered her eyes, hoping he hadn't seen.

Fred felt sparks across his chest when she touched him and closed his eyes in an attempt to repress a shudder that threatened to run through him. "Thanks, K," he finally managed to whisper, unconsciously voicing the nickname he had come up with for her but never used.

Karen looked up in surprise at the name; "K?" she repeated.

"Yeah…sorry about that; it just kinda slipped. I promise I won't use it again-"

"No!" Karen interrupted him sharply. "I mean…I like it. You can use it if you want to." She smiled up at him and gently took his hand when without warning the entire Weasley party emerged from the tent.

George and Lindsay grinned triumphantly at the two of them standing there and holding hands. Fred and Karen quickly let go of each other and turned their heads away, both blushing slightly. "Come on; it's time!" Mr. Weasley called excitedly as he led the way towards the pitch.

The match had been everything that Karen had ever dreamed a professional match would be and more, but she was glad to be back in the tent with the others all the same. She hadn't really been fond of all the noise and the people, especially those sitting right near them during the match. Malfoy and his family had been invited by the minister because Mr. Malfoy had kissed up, as usual. Karen had found it very difficult to enjoy herself at the match with that family sitting so near to her, but now, she laughed and celebrated with the others, feeling freer than she had in a long time. Fred and George were currently dancing in the middle of the room and singing an Irish song when Ron stepped up and began talking about Krum. The twins turned to him and proceeded to make fun of everything that came out of his mouth to the point that everyone joined in.

Suddenly, they heard a loud series of bangs coming from outside the tent. "Sounds like the Irish have got their pride on!" Fred said, laughing.

"Stop!" Mr. Weasley yelled to George and Ron who were busy wrestling as he ran back into the tent. "It's not the Irish. We have to get out of here…now!"

Karen and Lindsay shot each other confused looks as the entire group exited the tent and stopped dead just outside it. They stared in horror as a large crowd of people in black hoods and masks stomped through the tents, setting fire as they went. "Death Eaters," Karen hissed and pulled Lindsay behind the others.

"Are you sure?" Lindsay asked in a hushed voice.

"Positive," Karen breathed.

"Get back to the portkey everybody and stick together!" Mr. Weasley told them. "Fred, George: Ginny is your responsibility!"

George took Ginny's hand and wrapped his other arm around Lindsay and began to fight his way through the crowd of panicking people. Fred turned and seized Karen's hand and dragged her after his twin. Together, they managed to weave their way into the middle of the crowd and moved with it towards the portkey. "Fred!" Karen yelled as they moved through the surging tide of humanity. "Fred, my hand's slipping! I can't hang on!"

"Stay with me, Karen; don't let go!"

"FRED!" she screamed as her hand was ripped from his grip. Within seconds, she had lost sight of Fred, George, Lindsay, and Ginny. The crowd kept her moving even as she spun her head in every direction trying to see the Death Eaters. Suddenly, she saw them moving in her general direction. "Oh no," she breathed and began to push her way past others, trying to escape. She turned again after a few seconds and saw them coming closer. "Oh bad, bad, very bad!" she cried and pushed ahead with renewed vigor. As she continued to move, she spotted a single man detach himself from the others and move with malicious intent towards her.

Karen began to panic. She began to stumble backwards through the crowd with only one thought in her mind: get away from him. Left and right people buffeted her as she struggled, blindly, through them in a vain attempt to find Fred. Looking back one final time, she saw the man raise his wand and point it at her. A scream of terror burst from her lips, and she threw herself behind a tree just as the man cast his curse. For a moment, Karen stood there, panting and fighting her panic. After several moments of silence, Karen began to breathe normally again. Suddenly, she felt a hand seize her wrist, and she gasped in fear as she whipped her head around to see who had ahold of her.

"Shhhhh, it's just me!" Fred hissed at her. "Are you alright, K?"

"Ye-yeah, I'm fine," Karen said, clutching her chest. "You scared me, that's all."

"What happened?" Fred asked. "How did you end up hiding all the way out here?"

"I got lost in the crowd, then one of the Death Eaters decided that I was gonna be his next target. I managed to shake him off by hiding back here, and I didn't really feel like going back out there."

Fred looked at her, shocked. "Why did that Death Eater single you out?"

Karen shifted uncomfortably and refused to meet his eyes. "I don't know…maybe because I was alone?"

Fred narrowed his eyes and turned her back to look at him. "You know as well as I do that that's a lie. You know why he came after you, don't you? Who was he, Karen?"

Karen shook her head. "I honestly don't know. He just came after me, I promise."

Fred opened his mouth to argue when suddenly, they heard a rustling sound coming from somewhere nearby. Karen paled again and grabbed Fred's arm to pull him into the bushes beside them. "Karen, what the-"

"Shhhhh!" she hissed, clapping her hand over his mouth. "It might be one of them!"

Fred instantly quieted and lay still in the bushes. Neither one of them breathed as the sound steadily came closer and closer. Karen let out a small gasp of fear as the moments passed, and Fred slid an arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest. Whatever was out there, he vowed that it would not get anywhere near Karen while he was still breathing. Then, without warning, a hand came through the bushes and ripped them away from the hiding pair.

"Well, well, well, look at what I found, Linds!"

"George!" screamed Fred with a mixture of anger and relief. "What the Hell were you thinking sneaking around like that with Death Eaters out there? You scared us half to death!"

"To be honest, it was my idea," Lindsay said, stepping forward. "I wanted to see if I could catch you and my sister in an awkward position," she looked down at Karen with Fred's arm around her, still clinging to his chest. "I'd say I succeeded."

Karen quickly pulled out of Fred's grip and stood up, turning away from the others to hide her blush.

Fred shot a glare at Lindsay and his brother. For one, if he had known that it was them making all the noise, he would have enjoyed that intimate moment with Karen a whole lot more. For another, they had proceeded to ruin the moment by embarrassing Karen and making her walk away from him.

George must have sensed what his brother was thinking because as he walked by he whispered, "You gotta get rid of Angelina before you can be angry at me for ruining a moment with Karen: can't have 'em both, mate." Nodding, Fred turned to leave the forest with his brother when Lindsay let out a piercing scream. George immediately spun around and ran back to her with Fred hot on his heels. "Lin, what's wrong?"

In response, Lindsay just pointed into the sky over the trees to their right. Karen was beside her sister, her mouth open in a silent scream. Fred and George followed their friends' eyes over the forest until they saw it: a huge green skull floating in the air with a green snake slithering out of its mouth and circling around its head. "It's-it's-it's," Lindsay sputtered.

"The Dark Mark," Karen whispered.

Fred and George gave each other a look, then nodded and took the girls by the hand, pulling them from the woods. "We've got to get back to the portkey!" Fred called.

"This way!" George shouted over his shoulder.

The four friends slowly made their way out of the forest and found the hill that they had landed on earlier that day. As they crested the hill, they found a portkey waiting for them and quickly lay down on the grass, each taking hold of a different side of the cardboard box. While they were waiting, Fred noticed George holding Lindsay and whispering comfortingly in her ear. In turn, he slowly slid his free arm back around Karen's waist and leaned in to whisper. "You alright?"

"Yes…yes I-I'm fine," she managed. "It's just a bit shocking; I mean, you don't expect to see these things anymore…he's supposed to be gone."

He tightened his grip around her and lightly rubbed her side, trying to reassure her. To his amazement, Karen squirmed a bit and let out a small giggle. "K, did you just _giggle_?"

"No!" Karen denied, blushing.

"Yes you did," Fred said, the familiar, sly smile creeping onto his face. "But I didn't say anything funny, so why-" then understanding hit him, and he grinned broader. "You're ticklish aren't you?"

Karen's blush deepened as she shook her head violently. "No, no I'm not! Honestly, I-I just-" but at that moment, the portkey kicked in and bore the four of them away from the hill.

Within seconds, the group had landed back on Stoat's Head Hill, and Karen prayed that her previous conversation with Fred would be forgotten. Suddenly, Lindsay gasped again.

"Where's Ginny?"

"I sent her back just before I came after you when you ran off after your sister. Knowing her, she'll already be home."

"Well in that case, we should be getting there too; you know how worried your mom's gonna be when she hears what happened."

"Walking down this hill is gonna take forever," Karen groaned. "I thought it was hard climbing it, but now I think I'd try that again before trying to go down."

"Well," George began, grinning at his twin. "There is a faster way…"

"Which is?" Lindsay asked, her eyebrows rising.

"This!" George yelled as he tackled Lindsay and caused them both to begin rolling down the hill.

Karen could hear her sister's screams of fright turn into enjoyment the further down the hill she rolled. Rolling her eyes, she said, "They are absolutely nuts! I mean, rolling down the hill? Sure it's faster, but it's also-Fred…what are you doing?"

During her little speech, Fred had begun to creep closer to her with a mischievous look in his eye. "What's wrong with the way our siblings got down the hill, K; you didn't finish."

"It-it's much more dangerous," she said quickly.

"What's life without a bit of risk?" Fred grinned. "I thought we'd taught you better than that; did you forget how to have fun?"

"Of course not: I just like to be more careful than she does."

Fred was a mere step away from her as he said, "Careful is boring, Karen."

"Fred Weasley," Karen said, her voice going higher. "Don't you even think about i-ahhhhh!"

In the middle of her warning, Fred leapt at her and sent them both rolling down the hill after their twins. Karen clung tightly to Fred as they rolled and soon fell into laughing with him. When they finally leveled out, Karen found herself lying under Fred as he propped himself up to keep from hurting her. "See, much more fun wasn't it?" he asked, grinning at her.

Karen laughed and nodded. "I had forgotten just how much fun I could have with you; that was wonderful!"

Fred grinned more broadly at her compliment and felt the sudden urge to kiss her. He leaned down slowly so as not to scare her and had just got within a few inches of her face when… "FRED, KAREN: THANK GOD YOU'RE BOTH ALRIGHT!"

He groaned and rolled off Karen as Mrs. Weasley came running towards them. "First George and Lindsay and now Mum…I'll never get a moment with Karen at this rate," he muttered to himself as Mrs. Weasley embraced Karen. Little did he know that Karen was thinking along similar lines as Mrs. Weasley released her and went to her son.

Karen's mind was reeling; had Fred really just tried to _kiss_ her? Past experience had taught her not to get hopeful where boys were concerned, but it really had looked like…no! She shook her head, trying to get the idea to go away; he was still dating Angelina, and she couldn't afford to get her hopes up again so soon.

Neither one of them moved as Mrs. Weasley began to walk back to the Burrow until she called over her shoulder, "Hurry up you two!"

"We'll be right there, Mum!" Fred called to her then turned to Karen with an awkward look on his face. "K, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I guess," Karen said, slightly frightened by the serious look on Fred's face.

"There-there's something I want to tell you, but I'm not sure if I should say it now or wait."

"Then this conversation should wait until you are sure," Karen whispered and made to head for the Burrow, but…

"No! Karen please don't go! Just hear me out, ok?" He seized her arm and gave her a pleading look until she turned back to him. "I-I don't want things to go back to how they were last year; promise me that no matter what, we'll always be friends. Please, K…I don't think I can put up with another year like that."

Karen stood staring at his pleading face and feeling her own heart splitting along the so newly healed wound. Fighting back tears, she whispered, "I…I don't think I can make that promise, Fred. Some of this depends on you, I'm afraid."

"But what did I do? I have no idea what I did to drive you away: just tell me!"

Karen shook her head violently, still resisting the urge to cry. "I can't! It's not something you can change, so why bother telling you?"

"Because I care about you and don't wanna hurt you again, that's why. Please Karen: tell me what happened to make you hate me."

At this, several tears slipped down Karen's face, and she hung her head in surrender. "I never hated you; that was the problem: I couldn't hate you. I don't want to talk about it anymore!" She pulled her arm from Fred's slackened grip and ran off towards the Burrow, never looking back.

Fred stood where she had left him with a pained look on his face as she ran away. Shaking his head slightly, he wondered what was wrong with him. He had never been so insecure in his life; he was Fred Weasley for Merlin's sake! No girl could ever reduce him to a blithering idiot, unable to form a coherent sentence…no girl apart from Karen, that is. Part of him wanted to curse these horrid feelings for ruining the friendship he prized so highly while the other was shouting at him to act on said feelings. Despite never being one to simply sit and think, Fred flopped down by a tree and began to carefully weigh each option.

Ignoring the feelings would possibly allow everything to return to normal between him and Karen, which would be great; however, there was also the possibility that doing so would ruin his friendship with Karen, which wouldn't be so great. On the other hand, accepting and acting on these feelings carried a great deal more risk. First, it would mean breaking up with Angelina, something that he dreaded doing (it was no secret that Angelina got violent during break ups). Second, it would mean risking his friendship with Karen if things didn't go as well as hoped between them, always assuming she agreed to go out with him. "Ah, but what happens if things DO go as well as hoped, eh?" said a small voice in his mind. "Think of how wonderful it would be to be with Karen on a higher level than friendship…imagine you being with her forever with no fear of losing her. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Smiling slightly, Fred imagined himself and Karen forty years from now, sitting together in a living room before a fire, enjoying their quiet evening with each other knowing that there were countless more times to come. "She's so worth the risk," he whispered to himself. "Sorry Ang, but I can't fight this one anymore no matter how scared I am." Standing up and facing the Burrow, Fred began speaking again. "I don't care how I do it or how long it takes; someday I will be your boyfriend, Karen Marie Bennet!"


	5. The Break Up

**The Break Up**

The remainder of the summer passed very uneventfully, save for Fred's never seeming to leave Karen's side for more than a few minutes. All too soon, the Weasley family plus their friends were standing in front of the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. After kissing Mrs. Weasley good bye and thanking her for everything that summer, Karen and Lindsay left the boys and went to find a compartment for the four of them. "What do you reckon is happening at Hogwarts?" Lindsay asked.

"Who knows," Karen said, rolling her eyes. "All I know is that those two will not stop until they know, so I suggest not bringing it up for fear of never shutting them up! Here, this compartment's fine."

The two entered the compartment and left the door open for the boys to follow them. Karen sat down next to the window, and Lindsay sat opposite her. "This way Fred has to sit next to you," Lindsay explained with a wink.

"As long as he gets here before _she_ finds him," Karen said under her breath. "In here you two!" she called out the door when she saw Fred and George walking by.

Just as Lindsay had predicted, George took the seat next to her, and Fred was forced to take the seat next to Karen. Before he sat down, Fred shot frightened looks up and down the hallway then quickly shut the compartment door.

"What's the matter, Fred?" Karen joked, poking him in the side. "Are you afraid of your mob of female fans?"

Fred laughed and smoothly slid his arm around her shoulders. "Nah, they can't hold a candle to the girl sitting beside me."

Karen blushed a deep shade of red and shot an evil look at her sister who was smirking at Fred's words. "Don't let Angelina hear you say that," Karen whispered.

Fred's smile faded away to be replaced by a grimace. "Oh…yeah, ummm Karen: about Angelina…she and I-"

The ending of his sentence was cut off by the compartment door sliding open to reveal none other than Angelina Johnson smiling her characteristic faux-girly smile at Fred right up until the moment she saw his arm draped around Karen's shoulders. "FRED WEASLEY!" she bellowed, and he winced. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Angelina," he began hesitantly. "I need to talk to you: now. Let's go out in the hall." He stood up and left the compartment, shutting the door behind him.

George let out a low whistle. "He is one brave soul."

"Why: what's he doing?" Karen asked concerned.

"I think he's going to break up with Angelina," George said with his eyes on the compartment door.

"Is he really?" Lindsay asked with an obviously unsurprised tone. "I thought they were doing alright. What happened?"

"He…he's interested in someone else, I think," George replied hintingly, still staring at the door.

"Why are you staring at the door?" Karen asked him.

"Well, Angelina has a bit of a reputation for not taking splits well. I just hope she's not as bad as the rumors say."

"Why, what do they-" Karen began but gasped when she heard the sound of spells in the hallway.

Without a word, she, Lindsay, and George all leapt to their feet and ran into the hallway, pulling out their wands as they ran. As they rounded the corner, they saw Angelina screaming incoherently at Fred and shooting spells at him as he attempted to dodge them. "Oi, Angelina knock it off!" George yelled, running ahead of the girls. Karen and Lindsay looked at each other and nodded before following George down the hall.

Ignoring George's words, Angelina continued to shoot hexes at Fred. Suddenly, one shot past George, just missing his chest. "HEY! That's my boyfriend you idiot!" Lindsay screeched and shot to George's side.

Angelina's next hex flew between Lindsay and George's arms and hit Fred squarely in the chest. Immediately, Fred doubled over and let out a groan of pain. "FRED!" Karen shouted and ran to his side, catching him just as he began to fall to the floor. She sat with her back against the wall with his head in her lap, stroking his hair gently. "Fred, are you ok?" she whispered.

"Course I am," he grunted with an attempt at a smile. "It didn't hurt at all." His face spoke to the contrary the next minute when he winced again.

"You're not fine at all. What the heck did she hit you with?" she said, more to herself, as she gently slid his shirt up just enough to examine the point where the hex had hit him. When she saw his chest, she clapped a hand to her mouth in shock.

"What: what is it?" he asked her.

"Well, it's…it's a giant bruise, but I've never seen one this bad before," Karen said slowly. "I think I have something that may work, though."

"You sure it's a bruise?" he asked quickly. "Angelina's known for her imagination with hexes for people who break up with her."

"I'm pretty sure," Karen whispered, lightly running her fingers over the spot. Fred let out a gasp of pain as she touched the sensitive skin. "Oh I'm so sorry," Karen squeaked. "I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"Don't worry…you didn't," Fred smiled at her. "Maybe we should think about getting back to the compartment though; it really isn't safe out here anymore," he pointed at Lindsay, George, and Angelina who were all still shooting jinxes at each other.

"You're right; can you stand?"

Nodding, Fred slowly stood up but almost right away collapsed on Karen's supporting arm. "Ok, maybe I can't," Fred laughed but winced from the pain it caused.

Karen carefully guided Fred back into their compartment, laid him across two seats, and shut the compartment door. "Alright: just give me a minute to find that potion; it's in my bag, unless of course you don't want it cause you're such a tough guy," she smiled teasingly.

"No, I'd rather sit with a giant bruise on my otherwise flawless chest for the rest of the month," Fred said, smiling up at her.

"Oh very funny: you better get better with the jokes if you and George are serious about opening a joke shop."

Fred stared at her astounded. "How did you find out about that? We've been trying to keep that quiet so Mum doesn't eat us."

Karen waved a hand over her shoulder as she climbed up on the opposite seat to look through her bag. "Lindsay told me about it last year. Plus, we heard you talking about it a few times over the summer. Don't worry, though: no one else did; we just have a way of being able to hear you two no matter what…it's kind of annoying really. Ah! Here it is." She carefully climbed down from the seat with a small bottle in her hand.

"Why do you have that in your bag?" Fred asked suspiciously.

"Just in case anything bad happens: I like to be prepared." Karen suddenly blushed red again. "Ummmm…Fred, I have to ask you to, you know, take off your shirt so I can put this stuff on."

Grinning but also blushing slightly, Fred nodded and made to pull the shirt over his head, but stopped as the motion hurt his chest. "I may need a bit of help with that, K. Stupid girl and her stupid hexes," he muttered under his breath.

"Oh, ummm…I guess I can help with that," Karen blushed harder as she bent to help pull the T-Shirt from Fred's body. "Why was she trying to hex you, anyway?" she asked in an attempt to divert Fred's attention from her now flaming red face.

"Oh, well you see, I kind of broke up with her, and she wasn't very happy with me."

At his words, Karen's heart began doing cartwheels in her chest, and she fought to keep any signs of happiness from her face. "Why did you break up with her, if you don't mind my asking?"

Fred shrugged. "I'm in love with someone else; it wouldn't have been fair to either girl to stay with Angelina, so I ended it. Could you put that stuff on now? It's starting to hurt really badly."

"Of course, it may sting a little bit at first," Karen warned as she dipped two fingers into the potion and began to spread it on the bruise.

She had been right; the instant the potion came into contact with his skin, Fred felt a burning sensation, and he couldn't repress a cry of pain. "Oi! You said sting not burn!" he gasped.

"It burned?" Karen asked instantly concerned. "It isn't supposed to, no…maybe you're just too tender," she teased him again. "Do you want me to keep putting this stuff on or just forget it?"

"Hey, I am not too tender! I'll have you know I am a very macho guy, so get on with it already!" Fred said, setting his teeth to prepare for the pain, determined to prove that he was strong in front of Karen. He watched as she delicately placed her fingers against his skin again and saw the regret in her eyes when he winced from the pain.

"It really does hurt, doesn't it? I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to make fun of you, and I really wish it didn't hurt."

He gently took her hand and forced her to look back into his face. "It's really ok, Karen. I'm a Quidditch player; pain is no stranger to me, I promise."

"I know, it's just…I never wanted to be the one causing you pain."

"Then don't think of it that way. Think of it as…you're making me better, but it has to hurt to heal."

Karen rolled her eyes but smiled slightly as she continued to apply the potion. "You have the absolute strangest logic I have ever encountered," she laughed.

"It doesn't bother you that much, apparently, or you would've found some new friends by now."

"Like I'd ever find better friends than you and George if I looked for the rest of my life," she muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Fred teased. "Did you just pay me a compliment?"

"Maybe I did. Although, it's not like you need anymore; your head's swollen enough without my help." She swatted him lightly on the shoulder, and he chuckled appreciatively.

"Still, I don't really get my share from you, so I take them when I can get them."

"Would you prefer I act like one of your giggling fan girls?" She put on a huge fake smile and spoke in a high pitched, annoying voice. "Oh, oh, oh, Fred Weasley: will you sit by me in the common room? Can I touch your hair? Can you teach me how to fly? Will you meet me in Hogsmeade this weekend?"

Fred found himself laughing harder than he had in a very long time. The sight of Karen imitating the girls that he found so annoying was just too priceless. "Oh I missed you, K," he said finally. "And no, I really don't want you to _ever_ act like them. If anything, they should try acting like you; you have a much better chance of being with me than they ever will."

Karen blushed as she stood up and climbed back up on the seat to put her potion away. "I'm flattered you think so highly of my personality, Fred," she said retaking her seat after Fred had pulled himself back into a sitting position. For a moment, she simply sat looking at him with a slight smile gracing her face.

"What?" Fred asked her.

"Oh, nothing: it's just that…I hadn't realized how much I missed you until just now. I'm sorry I basically froze you out last year."

Whatever Fred had been expecting, it certainly hadn't been that. "Ummm…it-it's fine; I'm sure you had your own reasons for it."

"I did, but they were very selfish ones. I-I didn't like the idea of sharing you with Angelina, it felt too weird, so I just let her take my place. I could've made things work; I just didn't feel like trying."

Fred grinned broadly and flung an arm around her shoulders again. "Don't worry about it! Dating Angelina was a stupid move on my part; we were better off as just friends, and I realize that now. I think I was just doing it for the heck of saying I had a girlfriend because my brother did. I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt you; I promise that wasn't my intention."

"Thanks, Fred: it means a lot to me," Karen whispered, her face now very red again.

Now, keeping in mind the fact that Fred had already promised himself he would date Karen, you can imagine that he had absolutely no desire to wait any longer to start. Therefore, it was in this moment that Fred began to lean towards her and pull her closer. He watched carefully as the look in Karen's eyes went slowly from confusion to surprise, to absolute happiness as he pulled her closer. Their lips were mere inches from each other, and Fred finally allowed his eyes to droop shut…

"Hello there: we're back!"

Karen jumped and quickly pulled herself out of Fred's grip upon hearing George yell from the doorway. She sat facing as much away from Fred as was possible to hide the look of embarrassment and disappointment that now covered her face. Looking up, she saw Lindsay smirking at her from behind her boyfriend, and she shot her a glare that, in twin language, meant "Thanks a lot!"

Fred sat immobile for a few seconds, cursing the loss of his perfect moment with Karen. He glared up at his brother as he and Lindsay crossed into the compartment and pulled the door shut behind them. "Have either of you heard of perfect timing because you both have nothing but it!" he growled.

George laughed and wrapped his arm tightly around Lindsay's waist. "If that's the kind of thanks we get for fighting your battles for you, don't count on us being there anymore. You didn't even ask how we finally got her to go away."

"Fine: how did you get her to go away?" Fred said, rolling his eyes.

"It was easy, really," Lindsay said. "We fought her for a while-she refused to calm down no matter what we said to her-and then Katie and Alicia came looking for her and managed to get her back into their compartment. We did explain the situation, and I don't think you'll have to worry about them coming after you; they agreed with us when we said that you belonged with someone else," she finished, shooting a meaningful glance at her sister.

Karen stuck her tongue out at her twin before quickly changing the topic of conversation to the boy's ideas for a joke shop, which kept them all busy for the remainder of the journey.

_AN: Sorry it took so long to update; December's kind of a busy month for me. Anyway, I know this chapter's a bit pointless, but it was necessary to set up what's coming next. Oh and one last thing: I'm writing this story for both pleasure and for school stuff, and I could kind of use some reviews to help with my project. I'd really appreciate it if you could take a minute and give me some feedback. Thanks :)_


	6. The Hogsmeade Trip

**The Hogsmeade Trip**

The first task of the Triwizard Tournament was only days away, and so the normal excitement that surrounded the first Hogsmeade visit of the year was slightly dulled. Karen and Lindsay were especially disappointed mainly because their day out with Fred and George had been stolen by Ron who was having juvenile problems with Harry. Since Ron refused to go anywhere near Harry, Fred and George had offered to hang out with him at Hogsmeade which ruined Lindsay's plans completely.

Lindsay had spent the majority of her year thus far trying to lure Fred and Karen together through various schemes. The Hogsmeade trip had seemed the perfect opportunity until Ron had to go and be a prat. Now, Lindsay was fighting to even keep Karen going at all. "You need the day off, sis; you've been working way too hard lately."

"What I need is a day to finish this damn potions essay for Snape!" Karen hissed in frustration. "Besides, I have no real desire to go and hang around with Ron and Lee Jordan for an afternoon." Both twins agreed that after Percy, Ron was their least favorite of the Weasley boys. They hated how immature he was and prayed that he'd hurry up and grow up. Lee Jordan, it was no secret, fancied himself way more attractive than he actually was which often led to awkward encounters with the girls.

"Please, Karen," Lindsay begged. "I don't want to spend all day with them either, but I'm still going. Please don't leave me alone with all those boys; I'll lose my mind!" 

"Give me one good reason why I should besides saving your sanity."

"Ok, how about this for a good reason: Fred likes you!" Lindsay hurled at her twin. "It's about ruddy time you two quit playing games and became the next top item."

Karen rolled her eyes and continued to write her essay. She was very fed up with Lindsay and her ridiculous schemes to get Fred and her together; she was sure they were going to ruin any chance she had with him. Admittedly, Fred hadn't seemed very happy when he told her about Ron, so maybe there was some truth to what Lindsay was saying. Sighing, she decided that it would be less painful to go than it would be to deal with the damage if she didn't.

Lindsay smiled as she recognized the decision in her twin's eyes. "Good," she grinned, "now all we have to decide is what you're going to wear."

"Oh please, Lin, not again!" Karen groaned. Every time Karen went anywhere and didn't have to be in her Hogwarts robes, Lindsay would spend what seemed like hours digging through her closet until she came up with something she deemed suitable. "Can't you just let me pick my outfit this once?"

"I will, but only if you promise to pick something that doesn't make you look like you should be a muggle professor." In response to Karen's look, Lindsay threw her hands into the air and shrugged. "Hey, Fred's a jokester who doesn't give a Knut for the rules, so dressing like someone who follows the rules isn't going to get you anywhere. Not my fault that's how things work."

"Fine," Karen grumbled, closing her book, "I'll go find something that'll make all three of us happy, ok?"

"Good luck with that," Lindsay muttered under her breath.

Karen simply rolled her eyes and continued to write her potions essay.

The day of the Hogsmeade trip finally arrived, and Karen found herself squished between Fred and Lindsay on their way into town. Once Fred had complimented her on her outfit, Karen had easily relaxed back to her normal state of mind and was thoroughly enjoying herself. They went to the Three Broomsticks first but left hurriedly after seeing Hermione. Even though they couldn't see him, Ron had seemed convinced that Harry had been with her, so they were forced to leave before Ron did anything stupid. The twins then said they needed to go to Zonko's. Karen hated the shop, not because of what it sold, but because of how many people always seemed to be inside. Since it was a pretty nice day, Karen told the group that she was going to take a walk up to the Shrieking Shack.

Upon reaching the top of the hill, Karen leaned against the fence and enjoyed the feeling of the wind through her hair. As much as she hated to admit it, Lindsay had been right about her needing a day off; it felt so good to relax.

"Beautiful day isn't it?" a voice said behind her.

Karen whipped around to see Cedric Diggory coming up the hill towards her. "Very beautiful," Karen agreed.

"Where's the rest of your group? I'm assuming you're not here alone."

"They're all at Zonko's at the moment," Karen said. "I hate dealing with the crowd there, so I took a walk up here. What about you?"

"I needed to get away. Everybody's talking about the First Task, and I just needed a break from it."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. You're not nervous are you?"

"A bit, actually. Not knowing what's coming kind of adds another layer to things." He moved so that he was standing right beside her, leaning against the fence. "You're a really great listener, you know. I really enjoy talking to you."

"Thanks, Cedric," Karen said with a slight blush.

"You're welcome," he said quietly. Slowly, he turned to face her directly and gently turned her to do the same. Leaning in, he was only inches from her lips when she turned her head away. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Cedric. I didn't mean to lead you on or anything, but I love someone else, and he would never forgive me if he saw me kiss another boy. I-I think you should go now, Cedric. I'm sorry."

"Can I ask you one question before I leave? The boy you love…is it Fred Weasley?"

Karen hesitated for a moment then nodded.

Cedric stood still and silent for a moment before heading down the hill. When he got back into the village, he almost instantly ran into Fred and the rest of his group coming out of Zonko's. "Fred," he called. "I think you should know; I was never a threat to you and that girl you like. She's only ever had eyes for you." With that, he turned on his heel and went back to Hogwarts.

Fred stood for a moment thoroughly confused as to what had just happened. Shaking himself slightly, he continued up the hill and saw Karen standing by the fence, and everything clicked. Cedric had just come from the hill, which meant he had just talked to Karen, which meant…

"Guys: could you give me a minute with Karen alone, please?"

Ron and Lee looked confused, but George and Lindsay beamed as they pulled the other two down the hill.

Fred walked quietly towards Karen until he was right behind her. "Hi, K," he said.

Karen spun around and smiled when she saw who it was. "Hi. Done shopping already? You usually take much longer in there."

"Only needed a few things," Fred shrugged. "Besides, I didn't much fancy the idea of leaving you alone for too long."

"Afraid I was going to disappear?" Karen teased.

"What can I say; I'm quite the knight in shining armor." He grinned at her, and she just shook her head and laughed. "Cedric said you turned him down." He watched her closely for a reaction.

She stiffened slightly. "What else did he say?"

"Just that you had always had eyes for someone else: who is he, K?"

"It doesn't matter," she whispered, turning away.

"Yeah it does. As your best friend it's my job to make sure you don't wind up with a prat. So, who is he: he in Gryffindor?"

Karen merely nodded in response. "He plays quidditich too. I'll give you one more hint," she added, taking a deep breath. "He's not Harry."

Fred stood stunned. It had been him the whole time! All the pieces now seemed to make sense. She had been distant with him for a whole year because he had been dating Angelina. She had been upset with him because he had broken her heart, and that was why she hadn't wanted to talk to him about it. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. Instead of trying to talk to her first, he did what any self-respecting Weasley twin would've done; he bent in and kissed her.

Karen couldn't breathe, think, or even move from the moment Fred's lips met hers until he pulled away. She was sure she had dreamed that moment; she had spent over a year dreaming about it, so it couldn't be real. The ability to speak seemed to have left her, and her brain seemed to be struggling to catch up with her, so her heart took over, and she kissed him again.

Fred was convinced there were no words to describe how that second kiss felt. First was relief because this meant that he had been right. Second was a strong desire to never pull away because this feeling had to be heaven. When they did finally pull apart, he was first to find his voice. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked gently, touching her forehead with his own.

She shook her head and sniffed back tears. "I don't know. When I saw you with Angelina…I just couldn't. You were so happy, and I didn't want to hurt you. After you broke up with her, I guess I kept the doubt. I didn't think you would ever want me like that. Everything was just so confusing, and Lindsay wasn't helping matters with all her so called advice. I wanted to be with you, but I didn't want to sacrifice our friendship for the chance. I'm sorry."

"Karen," Fred sighed, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I call myself your friend, but I put you through all that and didn't even notice. I broke up with Angelina because I was in love with you, but I still didn't have the guts to say anything. I'm sorry it took me so long to come to you. Would you please be my girlfriend?"

"Well," Karen said, and it was obvious she was teasing. "I think I should check with my 'best friend' first to make sure you're not too much of a prat."

"I already asked him: he said that I am a prat, but I'm a prat with good intentions, so it was ok."

"In that case, I would love nothing better than to be your girlfriend, Fred Weasley!"

She beamed up at him, and Fred couldn't resist going in for another kiss. This time, she wrapped her arms around his neck, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and he spun her in a circle. After setting her back down, he pulled her close in a tight hug before pulling away again. "We should head back to school now. The others are going to think we vanished if we don't hurry."

"Besides," Karen laughed, "I can't wait to tell Lindsay and George the good news!"

"Shall we give them a show to go with our announcement?" Fred asked, the playful glimmer back in his eyes.

"What do you-Fred? What're you doing?"

Fred had easily picked her up and was now carrying her bridal style down the hill back towards where Lindsay, George, Ron, and Lee all stood waiting for them.

Upon seeing them, Lindsay screamed and jumped up and down, Ron and Lee both gaped openly, and George grinned from ear to ear. "About bloody time, mate!" he shouted to them.

"I can't believe you two are finally together! I was beginning to think I'd never see the day!"

"And there goes my Lindsay being all melodramatic again," George sighed reaching over and pulling Lindsay to him so she wouldn't cause any more trouble. "Do you have to make everything seem like the biggest deal in the entire world?"

"Only when it involves my twin sister and my best friend!" she said still smiling. "I'm so happy for you two!"

"No, we really couldn't tell," Fred said rolling his eyes.

Karen laughed and smacked his shoulder playfully. "Be nice, Fred. I appreciate the response, Lin. Truth be told, I would've been really disappointed at anything less than this. Now, we really should be getting back to the school. It's getting late." Fred set Karen down gently and took her hand instead.

The day of the Hogsmeade trip was over, and Karen found herself squished between Fred and Lindsay on her way back to school. Everything looked exactly the same as it had that afternoon when the trip had begun, but now it all seemed to glow because her right hand was now laced with Fred's left, and Karen knew that the happiest days of her life were just beginning.


	7. Happy Anniversary and an Unexpected Task

**Happy Anniversary and the Unexpected Task **

For the next several weeks, what seemed to be the whole school was talking about the great prankster Fred Weasley and his new girlfriend. To Lindsay's dismay, however, the news did not reach the rank of "top item"; it narrowly lost to the First Task. Karen wasn't quite sure what to do with all the attention she was receiving. It wasn't like she hadn't walked to class with Fred every day, but suddenly people seemed to be paying more attention to it. "I just don't get it," she said to Fred one day. "We've been friends for years; why all the attention?"

"Because it's different now, that's why. Before, you were just my friend, but now, people expect things to change. Does it bother you?"

Karen shook her head and smiled up at him. "Not really: I have your attention, and that's all I ever cared about. I was just wondering. I'm guessing it doesn't bother you either."

Fred waved a hand and shook his head. "Nah, it won't bother me until it's a guy pointing and staring at you, then I'll care."

"Yeah, never let it be said that a Weasley twin doesn't take care of what's important to him," George said from behind them. "You two could be the most sought after women in the world, and we still wouldn't back down. You're our girls: the end."

"Who would ever have thought that you two would be so romantic," Lindsay said blushing slightly.

"Why do you always say things like that with such a tone of surprise?" George asked, feigning offense.

Lindsay shrugged. "Honestly, because no other girl in the school would believe us if we told them what you just said."

"I can't imagine why, though," Fred said as he deftly slipped a small firecracker into a passing Slytherin's pocket. All four of them broke into a fit of hysterics when they heard it go off a bit further down the hall.

Time passed quickly, and before anyone knew it December had arrived. At the end of a particularly grueling transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall asked them all to wait a moment before leaving. "The Yule ball is approaching, and we must do our best to impress our guests. If anyone from Gryffindor house shames this school in any way, I will be most disappointed."

Karen heard Fred and George gulp audibly beside her because they too had heard the tone in McGonagall's voice. "Please, Professor," Karen said, putting her hand up. "The Yule Ball is a dance, correct?"

"That is correct, Ms. Bennet. On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests will gather in the Great Hall for a night of well-mannered frivolity. An announcement will appear on the Gryffindor notice board with practice times."

"'Practice times?'" George repeated indignantly. "You think we can't dance on our own?"

"The first dance of the evening is much more traditional than what I think you are capable of, Mr. Weasley."

The four left class that day with George in a very bad mood. "I can't believe she said that in front of the whole class," he grumbled. "I can dance."

"Forget about it, George," Fred said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Nobody's gonna care if you can dance or not; you're still a Weasley twin. Besides, everyone's gonna be looking at the champions, not us."

Karen and Lindsay were a short way behind them having their own discussion. "I can't believe we're actually having a ball!" Lindsay squealed. "It's going to be so much fun!"

"I know!" Karen said, beaming at her twin. "I can't believe I'm actually excited for a ball, but I am! If you had told me two months ago that I would be looking forward to a Christmas ball, I'd have told you that you were out of your mind."

"See: I told you everything would work out alright," Lindsay grinned. "Those practices McGonagall talked about should be interesting."

"I'll say," Karen said with a laugh. "Can you imagine some of these people learning how to dance properly?"

"Oi! Will you two hurry it up already? Geez, you tell a couple of girls that a ball's coming, and they turn into a group of bloody gossips!" Fred called to them from the other end of the hall.

"Alright, alright: we're coming! Keep your hair on!" Karen called back, rolling her eyes. "Some things never change, even when you're dating the guy."

However, as the ball drew nearer, it was clear that more than just Karen and Lindsay had been affected by the news. Everywhere in the school Fred and George went, someone was talking about the ball, and, frankly, both boys were getting slightly bored and annoyed. "How is that ball such a big deal?" Fred asked incredulously as he and George passed yet another group of giggling girls. "I mean, it's not like I'm not looking forward to it or anything, but come on! What's the big deal?" 

"Dunno," George said glumly. "Maybe it's because it's a girl thing. Lindsay talks about it all the time."

"Yeah, so does Karen, which is weird all by itself. She never used to get involved in gossip, but now she's all excited for this. It's kind of nice, actually."

"Well, good for you, then," George said disinterestedly.

"What's got you all mopey?" Fred asked, "And there's no good telling me nothing; I'm your twin, and I know better."

"It's Lindsay and all the talk about the ball!" George said desperately.

"What about it?"

"Well, remember how the ball opens with a traditional dance? You know as well as I do that I can't dance to save my life."

"So? What's the problem with Lin?"

"She'll never say it, but I know how much that dance means to her. It's a chance to show off, and I don't want to embarrass her."

"Have you even asked her to go with you yet?"

"Well…no, actually: I was waiting until I decided if I wanted to go."

"What d'you mean?" Fred cried. "Why wouldn't you go?"

"I don't want Lindsay to be embarrassed," George repeated.

"Look, if all that's bothering you is the first dance, then just practice a little. It can't be that hard. The first lesson is tonight; just relax and pay attention. You'll be fine."

"You're right, Fred," George said, his expression brightening. "You gonna take Karen?"

"As long as she says yes," Fred said grinning. "And believe me, with the way I have planned to ask her, she won't be able to say no."

"Like she would anyway, though," George laughed. "What are you doing for her?"

"Oh, you'll see. All I'm saying is that it's gonna happen on our anniversary." 

"One month coming up that fast?" George said, shaking his head. "You know you're gonna make her cry. She's gonna be on emotional overload between being asked to the ball and celebrating her anniversary."

"That's what I'm hoping for," Fred grinned.

The first practice for the opening dance arrived sooner than George had anticipated, and he was still unsure even as Fred dragged him into the room. "Will you calm down already?" Fred said. "This is not going to kill you!"

"Lindsay's going to laugh at me!" George said and tried to duck out.

"No she won't now get in here!" Fred said through clenched teeth.

Karen and Lindsay sat with the other girls across from the boys as McGonagall explained a bit more about the ball. Finally reaching the point where she was going to demonstrate, she chose Ron as her partner. Both girls fought to retain their giggles as Fred and George began to pantomime dancing behind Ron and McGonagall. Lindsay turned to talk to the girl next to her just as McGonagall told the boys to go choose partners. Karen instinctively looked at Fred and saw him clap George on the shoulder and whisper something in his ear. George's face, which had been slightly pale, brightened as the boys left their side of the room.

Swallowing his nerves, George approached his girlfriend and offered her his hand. "May I have this dance, m'lady?" he asked, bowing to her.

"I'd be delighted," Lindsay said, giggling as she accepted George's hand.

Fred took an extra minute to watch his brother before walking over to where Karen sat. He slid behind her without her noticing and carefully wrapped his arms around her waist then bent to whisper in her ear. "Dance with me, K?" he said before nuzzling her neck and breathing in her delicious scent of roses.

Karen felt her breath falter and her face heat up and barely managed to nod. Fred moved from behind her and offered her his hand which she accepted, and they both moved to the dance floor. It wasn't as though she had been expecting him to have two left feet, but the Fred that was moving with her on the floor was one that she certainly hadn't foreseen. He had easily spun her then effortlessly moved her into position with one hand on his shoulder and the other in his. Some of her shock must've shown on her face because Fred smirked and said, "Surprised?"

"A bit," Karen said honestly. "I really didn't expect you to be such a competent dancer. You really don't seem the type."

"There are lots of things you don't know about me, K," he said with a wink. He suddenly focused on a point behind her, and she turned to see George and Lindsay dancing nearby.

She quickly noted that Fred was a much better dancer than his brother, but she also saw how desperately George was trying not to show his insecurity. "I've never seen George so focused before," Karen said. "What's been wrong with him lately, anyway?"

"He's nervous about the first dance," Fred said with a sigh. "He knows how much it means to Lin, and he doesn't want to embarrass her. It took everything I had to get him down here earlier."

"Poor George," Karen said pityingly. "That's so sweet of him, though. Maybe there's a way we could help him. You seem to know what you're doing; why don't you teach him?"

Fred shook his head. "I don't want to make him feel any worse by pointing out the fact that I can dance when he can't. Karen…I know this is really weird to be asking you, but…"

"Of course I'll help him," Karen said smoothly. When Fred looked thunderstruck at her, she laughed and said, "Just because I'm dating you doesn't mean I stopped being friends with your twin. I don't mind dancing with George to help him get more comfortable. Lin would do the same for me."

"You sure?" Fred said hesitantly. "I don't want you to do anything that'll make you uncomfortable."

"I'm sure, Fred. It won't make me uncomfortable. Now that that's settled, let's finish this dance, shall we?"

For the next couple days, Fred, Karen, and George all met in the common room at ridiculously late hours to help George get better at the opening dance. By the time Karen and Fred's anniversary rolled around, George was able to get through the entire dance without tripping over either Karen's or his own feet. They had arranged for one more practice at midnight the day before the anniversary, but after dinner, Fred had pulled George outside to the quidditch pitch. "What're we doing out here, Fred? I thought we had another practice tonight."

"You don't need another practice, George; you're ready. Besides, tonight's Karen's and my anniversary, and I need your help with setting up," Fred said with his head buried inside a bag he had brought with him.

"What set up?" George said eagerly. "What cheesy scheme do you have up your sleeve, Romeo?"

"Oh shut it, George. You know how that dance is a big deal to Lindsay? Well, this is a big deal to Karen, and I want to go all out."

"Ok, ok: what're you doing for her?" George said with more seriousness this time.

Fred pulled several vials out of his bag and handed half of them to his twin who looked down at the vials then up at Fred with understanding gleaming in his eyes. "Let's get to work," Fred said. "Just sprinkle that where I have marked, and I'll handle the rest tonight."

At midnight that night, Karen slipped out of the girl's dorm and headed down to the common room to meet Fred and George. To her surprise, only Fred was in the room, standing by the fire and grinning at her. "Where's George?" Karen asked thoroughly confused.

"He's in bed," Fred replied simply, crossing the room to meet her. "He and I agreed that he really didn't need another practice; he's ready."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Karen asked. "I could've stayed in bed."

"Yeah, but there's something I wanted to show you, and no it can't wait until morning," Fred chided as he saw Karen open her mouth to protest. He held out his hand and waited until Karen had taken it before heading over to the portrait hole and leading her through it.

"Fred," Karen hissed, "where are we going?"

"You'll see," Fred said quietly as he continued to pull her through the halls. When they finally reached the double doors, Karen began to get slightly nervous.

"Fred…we're not going back to the Forbidden Forest, are we?"

Fred stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at her with a wounded expression. "Do you really think I'd do that to you after the last time you were in there? I'm not that stupid, Karen."

Karen blushed. "Sorry: I know you're not stupid, I just…"

"It's ok, just trust me. I promise this is nothing remotely resembling a prank or joke of any kind." Having made his point, Fred pulled Karen out the doors and across the grounds to the quidditch pitch. Once they were inside, Fred pulled out a blindfold and gently tied it around Karen's eyes. "Relax, K; I'm right here," he soothed as she tensed at losing her ability to see. "Follow me…this way," he took her hand again and led her to the middle of the pitch. "Now, I'm gonna let go of your hand for a minute to get something, but I'll be right back, ok?" He saw Karen nod and hurried to get his broom that was lying hidden nearby. Once he returned to her side, he mounted the broom and carefully guided Karen so that she was sitting sideways in front of him.

"Fred…wh-what are you doing?" Karen asked shakily as Fred wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Fred whispered. "I've gottcha."

Karen relaxed a little into Fred's arms until she felt herself rising off the ground. She gasped and threw her arms around Fred's neck out of fear.

"It's ok," Fred chuckled. "I think I've flown once or twice before in my life. I'm not gonna let you fall."

It took several moments, but Karen eventually calmed enough to loosen her grip on Fred's neck and let her body lose some of its tension. When she did, she found she rather liked the feeling of being so close to Fred especially where he was so comfortable. She had often wondered what it would be like to fly with him while she watched him effortlessly soar through the sky during his quidditch matches, and now she had her answer. The normal fear of having to control height and direction as well as keep the broom level was gone with Fred behind her, and all that remained was the joy of being away from the ground. "Fred," she finally whispered, breaking the silence. "This is really nice and everything, but did you really bring me out here at midnight to fly me around with a blindfold on?"

Fred laughed, and Karen felt the vibrations flow from his body through her own. "No, I didn't bring you out here just for that," he said. She heard him whisper something and then move the hand at her waist up to the tie on the blindfold. "I do have a bit of a surprise for you," he said, and Karen could hear the excitement in his voice. "You ready for me to take this off now?"

"Yes please," Karen said quietly.

"Alright, then," Fred said and untied the knot. "Welcome to your surprise," he said as he pulled the cloth from her eyes.

Karen felt her breath catch at the sight before her. There were stars everywhere! She and Fred were floating in the middle of what appeared to be an endless sea of stars and galaxy clusters all twinkling and shinning. With the smell of the night air surrounding her and the weightless feeling of flight tricking her senses, Karen felt as though she were floating in space. She slowly reached out and tried to touch the star nearest her, and to her utter amazement, she was able to grab onto it. Pulling it back to her and opening her hand to reveal the speck, she examined it with wonder. "What is it?" she asked in awe.

"Well, George and I call it pixie dust after that muggle story about the boy who won't grow up."

"You mean Peter Pan? I love that story! So, you and George made this stuff?"

"Yep," Fred replied proudly. "I know it's not the real thing, but it was as close as I could bring you. Do you like it?"

"Oh Fred….I absolutely love it! I can't believe you went through all this trouble for me!"

"Are you kidding? You're my girlfriend; of course I'd do this for you! Besides, you haven't seen anything yet."

"There's more?" Karen asked in amazement, watching as the speck she had been holding flew back into position.

"Mhmmm," Fred said pulling out his wand and waving it again. "Watch right there," he pointed right in front of Karen, and she watched as the pixie dust shifted and began to form words.

After a few moments, the pixie dust had spelled out a message that had Karen crying silent tears of joy:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KAREN

WILL YOU GO TO THE BALL WITH ME?

LOVE, FRED

Karen turned to face Fred with a smile that set Fred's heart aglow; never had he seen her smile like that. "Of course I will, Fred! Thank you so much!" She wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug that Fred eagerly reciprocated. When she finally pulled away from him, he leaned forward and kissed her deeply. Karen responded enthusiastically, and with another wave of Fred's wand, the pixie dust began to swirl around them. After they broke apart, Fred slowly lowered the broom back to earth with the pixie dust guiding the whole way. As soon as his feet met the ground, the dust vanished completely, and Karen climbed off the broom. No words were needed between the two of them as Fred re-hid his broom and took Karen's hand again. They walked back to the castle hand-in-hand, and both still smiling widely. Karen's mind was lost in wonder; never had she allowed herself to imagine something so romantic happening to her in her life, and yet, here she was walking back from the experience of a lifetime.

Her happy mood lasted her all the way back to Gryffindor tower and the common room where she and Fred shared a brief good night kiss before parting to climb to their separate dorms. As she changed for bed, Karen debated waking Lindsay up to tell her everything that had just happened, but eventually decided against it. It wasn't that she thought Lindsay would be angry with her; she knew her sister would be just as excited as she was. No, it was the fact that Karen wanted to keep this a secret just a little longer and treasure it as her own. She climbed into bed and curled up under the covers, looking out her window at the stars above. Long lost was the count of how many nights she had done this, but somehow, she knew as she closed her eyes, the stars would never look quite the same ever again.

_**Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter; it was a lot of fun to write. Recently, I managed to choose actresses that represent Karen and Lindsay. Let me know what you think!**_

_**Keira Knightley is Lindsay**_

_**Katie McGrath is Karen**_

_**If you don't know, Keira is Elizabeth in Pirates of the Caribbean, and Katie is Morgana on BBC's Merlin. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review! **_


	8. The Yule Ball part 1

_**One quick thing before you begin reading; I said in the last chapter that the Yule Ball took place on Christmas Eve night, but it actually happens on Christmas Day. The movie says Christmas Eve, but the book says Christmas Day; I hate those stupid contradictions. Sorry about that everyone, but I've changed to match the book. I just wanted to let you all know so you weren't confused. Enjoy!**_

The Yule Ball part 1:

Christmas Morning

The week leading up to Christmas, while always a happy occasion, had a heightened sense of excitement surrounding it this year all thanks to the party to be held on Christmas Day. Girls were seen comparing pictures of their gowns and jewelry while boys could be seen comparing their luck in dates. It was no secret that Fred and George held the respect of snagging two of the prettiest from Hogwarts, and the twins were thoroughly enjoying the attention. "You'd think the pressure would get to them with all the attention they're getting," Karen commented to her sister one day, "but no! They handle it like they're the kings of the world."

"Would you expect anything different?" Lindsay laughed. "They live for attention. This is just fun for them."

"Talking about us again are we dear?" George said, leaning down to speak in Lindsay's ear.

"Just commenting on how big headed you both are," Karen said, ever the quick witted one.

"'Big headed'?" Fred repeated, moving to sit beside his girlfriend and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Now where on earth did an insult like that come from? I thought you were talking about Percy for a moment."

"Oh come on," Karen said reprovingly. "You two have been walking around with your noses in the air ever since we agreed to go to the ball with you. Is it really that big of a deal?"

"To us it is," George said seriously. "You two are highly sought after women, and we got you first. It's only natural that we should be proud of ourselves." 

"Like you need an excuse," Lindsay muttered, rolling her eyes.

Finally, Christmas Day dawned clear, bright, and cold. Karen awoke to a pillow being thrown in her face from the direction of her sister's bed. "Wake up, wake up, it's Christmas, it's Christmas!" Lindsay chanted.

"Thanks for the update," Karen grumbled.

"Be nice Lin," Alicia said with a smile. "You know she's not a morning person under the best of circumstances."

"I don't care. Today's both Christmas and the Yule Ball, so she's getting up whether she likes it or not. Besides K, if we don't hurry, the boys will wake up on their own."

"Alright, alright, fine I'm coming!" Karen said and quickly jumped out of bed and pulled on her robe.

"George said we could open their presents in their room. I guess he fixed it with the house elves to just have them delivered there. Come on!" Lindsay grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her out the door, but not before Karen caught the look in Angelina's eyes.

Karen and Lindsay crept into the boys' dorms, both very grateful that Fred and George slept later than all the others leaving them alone in the room. Each girl pulled out a pillow that they had brought with them and stood at the ready beside their respective boyfriend's head. "Ready?" Karen whispered.

"On three: one…two…three," Lindsay whispered back, and the two of them began whacking Fred and George on the head with the pillows.

Both boys awoke with a shout and instantly covered their heads. "Karen what the-hey, knock it off!" Fred whined, still covering his head.

"Lindsay, get out of it!" George yelled.

The girls simply laughed evilly and continued their torture. Finally, Fred reached behind him and pulled his pillow out from under his head then proceeded to fight back. George quickly did the same, and within minutes, the dorm room was full of laughter as the four had a full-on war with their pillows. "Take that!" George said as he hit Karen on the back.

"Hey that's my girl you idiot!" Fred shouted back in mock outrage and hit George on the head.

"And that's my boyfriend who can't afford to lose anymore brain cells!" Lindsay teased and whacked Fred.

"Oh that's nice!" George said back but continued fighting with Fred.

Karen was laughing at the sight of the fight in front of her and enjoying her moment of being out of the line of fire, but the temptation eventually proved too strong. She snuck up behind her boyfriend and brought her pillow down on his head.

"Oi!" Fred yelled and turned around to glare at whoever hit him. "Karen Marie Bennet, how dare you?"

Karen just stuck her tongue out at him and hit him in the face with her pillow. "What're you gonna do about it Frederick Gideon Weasley?" she taunted.

At her words, a familiar twinkle came into Fred's eye. He gestured to both his brother and Lindsay who cracked identical grins. Karen began backing away with her pillow raised in protection, but there was no real chance for her. At the same moment, Fred, George, and Lindsay all began pelting Karen with blows from their pillows. As you can imagine, the pillows were not made to handle this type of stress, and soon, all four pillows were leaking faster than a damaged roof in a rainstorm.

Soon after, the war was called a tie and ended due to the lack of feathers. All four sank to the floor in a fit of laughter covered in feathers. "You look absolutely ridiculous," Karen laughed and began to brush the feathers out of Fred's hair.

"So do you," Fred grinned. "Come here, let me fix it." He conjured a brush and pulled Karen to sit between his legs so he could reach her hair and began to brush the feathers out of it.

George and Lindsay beamed at the couple for a moment before settling on George's bed and tearing into the pile of presents.

"Excellent!" George exclaimed as he tore into his mother's usual package of sweater and sweets.

"Oh look George; we match this year!" Lindsay squealed as she opened hers.

"Leave it to Mum," George said, shaking his head. "Oi, will you two quit being cute and get to your presents already?"

"Yeah, yeah, alright," Fred said in a disconnected tone.

"Now!" George added and threw his remaining pillow at Fred's head.

"Haven't we had enough of that?" Karen asked exasperatedly as Fred made ready to throw the pillow back. "Let's clean up from the last round at any rate." She waved her wand, and all the feathers flew back to their pillows and the tears resealed. "Come on Fred; let's get into those presents before your brother decides to throw something heavier at you."

Fred laughed and climbed onto his bed making sure to leave room for Karen beside him. "Your mother really outdid herself this year!" Karen exclaimed as she opened her sweater.

"Well, if there was any doubt that she liked you, I think it can be dispelled now," Fred said, pulling out his own sweater. "Now we all match."

"Who are these ones from?" George asked, holding up a pair of small boxes.

"Those are for you and Fred from our mum," Lindsay said.

"That was nice of her," Fred mused as he tore into the package. "Wow!" he exclaimed.

"What?" George asked eagerly, pulling the paper off his own box. "What's-wow! These are cool!"

Karen sent a silent thank you to her mother for taking her advice with the gifts. Originally she had intended to give them school supplies, and Karen and Lindsay had quickly shot that down. Then she had wanted to give them money to get whatever they wanted, but Karen had warned her mother of the dangers involved when giving Fred and George money with no strings attached. Finally, her mother had taken both girls with her shopping, and Karen had found the perfect gift which, thankfully, her mother had agreed on. She had bought them the wizarding equivalent of a pocket knife.

"These are fantastic!" Fred said, beaming at Karen. "Tell your mum we said thanks, will you?"

"Of course," Karen said with a smile. "That one's from me," she added as Fred picked up a slightly longer package.

"Same for you George; it's from me," Lindsay said as George picked up an identical one. "You had said you needed a new one."

"I think I know what these are!" the twins said together as they positively shredded the paper off of the girl's gifts to reveal new beater's bats. "Wicked!" they chorused as they gave them a few practice swings.

"Glad you like them," the girls said together, smirking at their boyfriends' enthusiasm.

Both boys suddenly glanced at each other and cracked identical grins that both girls recognized as the sign for trouble. Although the girls began shifting away from the boys, they knew their efforts were futile. Within seconds, the boys had launched themselves on their girl and had proceeded to crush them in hugs and cover their faces in little kisses.

"Fred! Come on, knock it off! You're welcome, but please don't kill me!" Karen squealed amongst her laughter.

"George! You're crushing me, and I then you won't get to see me in my dress tonight!" Lindsay threatened.

"Love you!" Fred and George said together as they sat up and moved back to their original places.

"Open yours now," Fred said gesturing to their piles still waiting at the edge of the bed.

"Careful with Mum's," Lindsay warned Karen. "It's really heavy; I wonder what it-ooooo! This is wonderful!"

"What is it?" George asked, leaning over her shoulder to get a look. "What's the big deal? It's just perfume."

"Oh is that what she sent us?" Karen asked excitedly. "Fantastic! I've wanted this for ages!"

"What's so great about it?" Fred asked.

"The scent changes depending on the colors you're wearing that day. Lindsay's is fruit scents, and mine is flowers. So, let's say I'm wearing red one day; the perfume will smell like roses. Then the next day when I wear purple, it'll smell like lavender. It's really nice to just have the one bottle."

"Now open the ones from George and me," Fred said with obvious anticipation. He looked across at his brother, and, following George's nod, closed the curtains around his four-poster to give him and Karen a bit more privacy.

Karen pulled the last box from her pile. It was very small, but that didn't bother her much. She hadn't been expecting anything over-the-top from her boyfriend with his budget. However, she was in for a surprise when she pulled the lid off. "Oh my God, Fred…" she said in shock. Inside the box was a small opal cut into the shape of a heart dangling on a simple silver chain. "Fred," Karen repeated pulling the delicate necklace out of its box. "I don't know what to say…it's beautiful!"

"I remember you saying that gold turned your skin green or else I'd have got you the gold chain, and I picked the opal because you can never decide what your favorite color is," Fred said anxiously.

"I always prefer silver, you were right, and opals are my favorites! You did the right thing, Fred, but I would've loved it no matter what," Karen said with a smile. "It's perfect."

"It's special, too, you know," Fred said.

"How much more special can it get?" Karen asked in disbelief.

"Here, I'll show you," Fred whispered leaning forward and fastening the chain around her neck. "Now, squeeze the opal and think about me."

Karen did as she was told and was surprised to see something glowing in Fred's clenched hand. "What is it?" she asked.

Fred opened his hand to reveal a matching stone set in a silver ring. "Whenever you need me, I'll be there. This was just a way to remind you," he said with a smile.

Karen felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes and threw herself at her boyfriend knocking him flat against his pillows. "I love you so much," she whispered in his ear before kissing him deeply. They were interrupted, however, by a scream coming from the bed next to theirs.

Fred pulled his curtains back to see Lindsay hugging George for all she was worth with a similar box in her hands. "What's yours look like?" Karen asked eagerly.

Lindsay didn't answer, but instead she passed her twin the box. Karen smiled; George knew her sister well. He had bought her the same necklace except her stone was a yellow topaz with a gold chain; her sister's favorite. "We'll wear them tonight," Karen assured Fred. "In fact, we'll probably wear them all the time now."

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Fred said with a grin. "Now, not to shoo you ladies out or anything, but I believe our plans for the afternoon are awaiting us, and we need to get dressed."

"So do we," Lindsay agreed as she hopped off George's bed and headed for the door. "Meet you in the common room in about fifteen minutes."

"Can girls even get ready that fast?" George asked in disbelief.

"Only when we don't care much cause we're just gonna have to get ready again in a few hours," Karen explained with a smirk.

"Right," Fred said, rolling his eyes. "See you in the common room then."

The afternoon passed very enjoyably. The four met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione for tea then went out onto the grounds for a vicious snowball fight that seemed to last for ages. Hermione was quite content to sit off to the side and watch, but Karen and Lindsay got right in there with the boys and fought just as hard. However, as five o'clock arrived, the girls bowed out and joined Hermione on their way back up to the school to get ready.

"What?" Ron cried in disbelief. "You all need three hours?"

Fred threw a snowball at his head, taking advantage of his distraction. "Dear brother, you'll learn soon enough to just shut up and let girls have their way."

"Besides, they only take so long because they're trying to impress the men in their lives," George added.

"Who are you getting ready with, Hermione?" Lindsay asked once they were out of earshot of the boys.

"Oh, well, I really wasn't planning on-"

"You're coming into our room," Karen said with a grin. "Ginny's already agreed. A whole group of us are going to make a party of our own out of getting ready. It makes it more fun for everyone involved."

"If you're sure it won't be a problem…" Hermione said hesitantly.

Lindsay waved an unconcerned hand. "The more the merrier. Besides, how many more opportunities like this do you think we'll have?"

For the next few hours, Karen, Lindsay, Ginny, Hermione, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina enjoyed themselves getting ready for the ball. Each girl seemed to have a specialty. For example, Alicia was really talented with makeup while Lindsay had a knack for hairstyles. Karen was good with jewelry and accents, and Katie had an eye for lip color. Ginny, being the youngest was really being treated like a princess by the other girls, and Hermione had been adopted just as fast. The only one who didn't seem to be enjoying herself as much as the others, although she tried to conceal it, was Angelina. After an hour and a half, all the girls had their hair done by Lindsay in their own unique style that matched their dress perfectly. "Well, that took a bit longer than expected," Lindsay said, biting her lip and glancing at her watch. "That only leaves us an hour and a half to do everything else."

"Don't worry," Karen said bracingly. "We can do it in a rotation. Alicia can do one person then Katie can finish while Alicia starts the next, and I can set out the accessories while that's going on. We'll make it; don't worry."

Karen was quite right. With half an hour to spare, all the girls had their hair and makeup done. "Now all that's left to do is put the dresses on!" Alicia said with excitement.

Alicia went first. She went into the bathroom while the others gathered on one of the beds. When she emerged, all the girls clapped and cheered before pushing Ginny to go next. The same treatment was given to each girl in turn until all of them were standing in the center of the room ready to go downstairs and meet their dates. "You alright over there, Karen?" Katie asked. "You look a little shaky."

"I'm fine: just a little nervous. I've never done anything like this before," Karen said biting her lip.

"You're going to be fine!" Alicia called from the door.

"Fred's going to love showing you off tonight!" Katie added.

"Calm down, sis. Everything's going to be fine," Lindsay consoled, patting her sister on the back.

"Hermione," Alicia warned, "if you want to get down there before anyone sees you, you better get going!"

"Thanks, Alicia. And thank you, everyone, for all of your help tonight. You've made this really special."

All the girls wished Hermione good luck as she left the room. "Lucky girl," Alicia sighed as she shut the door.

"I don't know," Katie said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure how well her friends are going to take this."

"I hope they don't ruin tonight for her," Lindsay said. A few minutes later, Lindsay called over to Alicia. "Are the boys downstairs yet?"

"Most of them are. I think we should go down now ladies. Are we all ready?"

Everyone grabbed their wraps and adjusted their hair in the mirror one final time before lining up at the door with Ginny in the front and Karen bringing up the rear. "Ok Ginny, you're on! And don't worry; you look gorgeous!" Lindsay called from her place behind Alicia.

Ginny flashed a quick smile back at them before walking down the stairs: the girls all high fived as they heard the applause echoing from the common room for her. "Ok Alicia, go!" Lindsay said, giving her a slight shove towards the door.

The girls could hear the common room gasp when Alicia came down; she was absolutely beautiful, and they all knew it. Her date was from Ravenclaw, so she had agreed to wait by the door so she could see her friends before she went to meet him. Lindsay straightened her wrap and shot a wink back at her friends before descending the stairs.

George stood beside his twin adjusting his tie for the umpteenth time, and Fred found himself doing the same. "You ok, Freddie?" George asked teasingly.

"Yeah," Fred said absentmindedly.

"Me too," George said with a small smile. "Remember, it's just our girls."

"I know, but I want this to be special for her," Fred said.

"Same here," George agreed. "Oh good here they come."

The boys watched with appreciation as their sister came down the stairs and met up with Neville. "Our baby sister is growing up," Fred said just loud enough for Ginny to hear him. Instead of retaliating, she just sent him a smile. "Boy she really is in a good mood tonight," Fred whispered. "Here comes Alicia."

Even though none of the boys in the room were her date, every single one of them clapped for her just out of appreciation. "Wow," George said over the applause. "If that's what she looks like, I can't wait to see the others."

He didn't have long to wait either. A moment later, he saw Lindsay emerge from the girls' staircase. She looked absolutely stunning. Her dress was a simple emerald green that was tight around the waist with a deep v-neckline. The straps that only could be seen on her back were thin and her back itself was open to the air. Her hair was done in tight curls and pulled up into a side ponytail that draped across her shoulder. The necklace that George had given her that morning stood out proudly against her skin, and her ensemble was completed with a simple gold bangle and gold heels. George couldn't seem to find any words to say as she crossed the room towards him, and neither could anyone else.

"Hi George," Lindsay said with a smile.

"H-hi," George managed. "You look wonderful, Lin."

"Thanks," she said, blushing. "You look great too. Hi Fred! You ready to have your mind blown?"

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked.

"You'll see…oh you'll see," Lindsay said with a secretive smile.

The three watched as Angelina and Katie came down, both to great acclaim, and then Lindsay started to get really excited. "Here she comes, here she comes, here she comes!" Lindsay said excitedly.

Fred took a deep breath as he saw the shadow coming down the stairs. Once Karen was in full view, his eyes widened to the size of galleons, and it was everything he could do to keep his jaw from dropping. Karen looked positively angelic in a maroon colored dress with a gold belt shaped like leaves around her waist. The collar came up to fasten around her neck and was also done in gold. The back of the dress, like her sister's, was low cut, but it was unhindered by straps. Her hair had been pulled back into a loose braid that reached halfway down her back and was held in place by a gold clip. Like her twin, the only jewelry she wore was a simple gold bangle and, Fred assumed, her new necklace hidden under the dress. The entire common room applauded for her once they had gotten over the initial shock, and Fred could not have been more proud to be the one she had chosen.

"Milady," he said, kissing her hand lightly. "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, Fred," she said with a smile. "You look very nice as well."

"Come on you two!" Lindsay called from the door. "Let's head on down there and spy on everyone else."

Fred offered his arm to Karen, and after a deep breath to calm her nerves, Karen accepted and carefully climbed out of the portrait hole.

_**I know I left this at kind of a cliffhanger, but I didn't want to rush or cram the ball itself, so it's getting its own chapter. It'll be up soon though! Oh, and if you would like to see what Karen's and Lindsay's dresses look like, the pictures are on my page. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter and if you have any suggestions for songs to be played during the ball. I'd be grateful for any help in that department! **_

**KarenIsAFanpire: I'm so glad you like the story, and I really hope I don't let you down seeing how personal this is for you. Thank you for being patient with me with updating, and I hope you liked this chapter!**


	9. The Yule Ball part 2

The Yule Ball pt. 2

Karen, with her hand clutching the crook of Fred's elbow, followed her laughing sister through the halls further from her room and closer to the Great Hall. Up until this point, all Karen had thought about was looking nice and actually getting to go to a party, but she had never really thought about everything that was involved with an event this large. She hadn't thought about how many people would be looking at her and talking about how she looked. She had never been one for putting herself in the limelight; she didn't want to think about what people would say about her if she made a false move tonight, let alone what Fred would think if she embarrassed him. Some of what she had been thinking must have shown in the form of her hand shaking because at the moment, Fred placed his free hand over hers and squeezed gently.

"You alright?" he asked so his brother and Lindsay couldn't hear. "You look ready to bolt on me. It's going to be ok, you know."

"I'm just a bit nervous," Karen answered. "I've never done anything like this before; I really don't know what to do. I don't want to embarrass you."

Fred laughed and tightened his grip on her hand. "You aren't going to embarrass me. Why would you even think like that? This is supposed to be fun; just relax and enjoy yourself. Oh, and if you're worried about how you look…don't. You are the most beautiful girl in the whole world, and tonight is your chance to show the world what I get to see every single day."

Karen felt her face flush, and a new confidence swept her body. As the pair turned the corner, they could clearly see the multitude of couples that were currently milling about the Entrance Hall. She felt Fred squeeze her hand again just before they descended the stairs into the crowd.

"Karen and Fred, there you are!" Alicia cried and hurried over to them. "You both remember John, don't you? He's Oliver's cousin."

Fred and John began a conversation about how Oliver was doing with quidditch, and Alicia pulled Karen slightly off to the side. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright," Karen replied with a smile. "Just a bit anxious, I think. I don't want to do anything wrong."

"Karen, it's a party; there are no rights and wrongs! Oh, yes, John; I'm coming now." She shot a wink at Karen just before she slid off to her date, and Karen did the same.

"We should probably be heading in now," Fred said, smiling down at her. "If I'm right, George and Lindsay will be in there already."

"We eat dinner first, right?" Karen asked as they headed towards the doors.

"Yep," Fred replied.

"Oy you two: over here!" George called through the crowd. "Come on, let's go in already."

The four walked into the Great Hall together; Karen and Lindsay gasped at the sight before them while Fred and George both cried, "Wicked!" again. The Great Hall had been turned into a winter wonderland hung with icicles and holly. Instead of the four long house tables, many smaller tables were set up across the floor while there was a single long table set for the teachers, visitors from the Ministry, and the champions. "Of course: there's dear old Percy," Fred groaned, looking up at the long table.

"What's he doing here?" George asked in disgust.

"Oh be nice, you two," Lindsay chided gently. "Tonight isn't about him, so let him feel important."

"If you say so, love," George sighed.

"You're sure we can't just pull one tiny little-" Fred began.

"No!" Lindsay and Karen cried together.

Their group sat down at a table near what would be the dance floor and enjoyed a very nice dinner together. As the meal wore on, however, Lindsay noticed that George's humor became more and more forced. She finally put a hand on his knee under the table and whispered in his ear, "Are you alright? You seem a bit tense."

"I'm alright," he said with a small smile.

"Please don't worry about that dance, George. You aren't going to embarrass me because I could never be embarrassed to be with you; I love you."

"Thanks, Lin."

At that moment, Dumbledore stood up and gestured for all the others to do the same. He waved his wand, and all the tables flew back against the walls to clear the dance floor. The four champions and their partners stood and came to the floor. The band for the evening, The Weird Sisters, came to their place and began to play. Everyone watched as the champions danced then after a few moments, Dumbledore pulled McGonagall out onto the floor, signaling that everyone else was allowed to join as well. Karen stood beside Fred with her arm once again linked with his. As each moment crept by, Karen suddenly became more and more nervous that this would be the moment Fred chose to pull her out onto the floor. Suddenly, she felt Fred tug slightly and looked up to see him smiling at her. "You ready?" he asked.

"Do we have to do this?" she asked; her nerves evident in her tone.

"Yes," Fred replied as though it was obvious. "Just relax and trust me, ok? Come on." He pulled her onto the floor, and, as one of the first student couples out there, Karen could feel hundreds of eyes on her and blushed as Fred spun her to face him. "Forget about all of them," he whispered. "I'm the only one you have to worry about impressing, and you always manage to do that. Enjoy yourself, and I'll be happy."

Taking a deep breath, Karen began to dance with Fred just as she had practiced. It was such a wonderful feeling, really: dancing in the center of attention. She could hear the whispers when she and Fred got close to the crowd, but she ignored them not caring if they were positive or negative. This was her moment to be the princess, the one that was being talked about like she mattered, and she felt more beautiful than she ever had before. All too soon, other couples had taken the floor, but the feeling stayed with her. She knew it was the way Fred was looking at her: like she was some sort of angel sent to Earth. No one had ever looked at her like that before. When the song ended, Fred pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear, "Did I mention how beautiful you are tonight?"

"Yes you did," Karen whispered back, blushing again.

"Well, I'm going to say it again then; you're beautiful, Karen. Don't ever doubt that, ok?"

"I'll try," Karen smiled just before their lips met gently.

Suddenly, the volume in the room went up to about ten times what it had been because the Weird Sisters began one of their up-beat numbers causing a majority of the students to begin screaming. Fred beamed and seized Karen's hand again. "Come on! Now it's time for me to show you how to have a good time!"

Karen allowed herself to be dragged into the middle of a mob of people in the center of the dance floor where there was barely room to move your arms let alone much else. Nonetheless, Fred pulled her in deeper and began coaxing her to dance. "I don't know what to do!" she yelled over the music.

"You don't have to!" Fred yelled back. "For once in your life, don't think!"

At first, Karen felt extremely stupid simply doing whatever came to mind and wouldn't take up too much room, but she quickly learned that everyone else was doing pretty much the same thing, and all her inhibitions left her. By the end of the first song, she was just as comfortable on the dance floor as many of her peers. She could easily see that this was yet another area where Fred thrived. He had no problems throwing all caution to the winds and doing whatever he wanted. A sense of pride welled up inside her that he was hers; it wasn't the first time she had felt this way, but it still overwhelmed her.

Several songs passed before Fred finally pulled her out of the mob. On their way back to a table in the corner, he looked down and smiled. "You looked about ready to drop," he explained. "I figured you might want some air."

"Thank you!" Karen exclaimed, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "I didn't even realize how tired I was; I was having so much fun."

"That's what I like to hear," Fred smiled as he pulled out a chair for her. "I could do with a butterbeer: want one?"

"Yes please," Karen panted, fanning herself with her hand.

"Be back in a minute. Don't run off with anyone while I'm gone," he said planting a swift kiss on her cheek before disappearing into the crowd.

Karen took this opportunity to observe some of her fellow students. She quickly noted Harry and Ron sitting at a table with their dates looking none too happy about their current situation. She also saw Katie and Alicia on the edge of the mob with their dates having a grand old time. It was only then that she thought to look for Angelina because she wasn't with her two best friends, which was very odd. After a moment of searching, Karen found Angelina sitting alone at a table near the dance floor with a look of false enjoyment. Karen knew that look all too well and couldn't resist the wave of pity that came over her. Angelina may have been the source of her jealousy once, but no one deserved to feel that miserable. She was about to go over and say something to her when Fred returned with their drinks.

"Here we are!" he said, setting the drinks on the table and moving to sit down across from her. "You alright: you look like you have something on your mind."

"No, I'm fine; thanks Fred," Karen lied as she turned her attention back to her boyfriend. "Did you see your brother while you were gone?"

"You mean George? Nah, I'm pretty sure I won't see him again until this thing's over; he and Lindsay disappeared into that crowd ages ago, and I really don't fancy trying to pull him out."

"Oh," Karen said, taking a drink of butterbeer. "Does it bother you?"

"Being away from him for hours at a time you mean? Not really: not so long as I know we're in the same area anyway. We really are close, you know; it's not just some act we put on to get attention."

"You don't have to explain that to me," Karen laughed. "Lindsay and I are the same way. Plus, no one knows you better than we do; I think we'd know if it was all an act at this point. Sometimes I worry though. I don't want to make you choose between him and me."

"You don't, I promise. It can seem like that sometimes, but we're just as close as we always were. Mum loves it, you know. George and me having girls."

"Well that was random," Karen laughed. "But I guess I'm used to that by now. What did she say?"

"She said that she thought you two might do us some good: teach us manners and such, I guess," Fred made a face at the idea.

"Doesn't she know how impossible that is?" Karen teased. "Besides, I wouldn't be dating you if you didn't have manners already. I'm not out to change you, Fred. I hate the girls who date a boy then spend all their time trying to 'make them better'. If you date someone, it should mean that you love them for who they are, not who you think you can turn them into."

"Good to know, and thanks," Fred grinned. "Well, you feel ready to get back into it?"

"Why not?" Karen smiled, finishing off her butterbeer. "Could we maybe not go so far into the mob this time?"

"We can try, but no promises," Fred laughed, pulling her up and back to the floor.

The next few hours passed in a daze of fast dances where Karen found herself more relaxed than she'd ever been and slow dances where Fred would pull her close and gently sway back and forth. Around eleven, she and Fred took another drink break, and while Fred was off getting the drinks, Karen got a chance to spy on Angelina again. She hadn't been able to forget the image of Angelina sitting all alone, and the image hadn't changed. Karen wondered if she had been out of her seat once that night; it certainly didn't look like it. She knew it was her fault Angelina was upset. Everyone knew that Angelina still had a crush on Fred, and that she had turned down every invite to the ball because she hadn't been able to shake it. Karen remembered all too well what it felt like to watch the person she loved with someone else and hated to be the cause of the same feeling in someone else. Suddenly, she had an idea, but she wished she had Lindsay to bounce it off of; Lindsay was the smarter one when it came to emotional stuff. She bit her lip; she wondered if Fred would go for the idea, but she decided that she had to try.

"K, are you alright? Every time I leave you, you get this look. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing with me…it…well, it's Angelina."

"What about her?" Fred asked sharply. "Has she been saying something to you tonight?"

"Oh my gosh, Fred, no: it's nothing like that!" Karen exclaimed. "I just can't help but notice; she looks so sad, doesn't she?"

Fred glanced over his shoulder at the table Karen was looking at and had to concede that she had a point. "Yeah she does, but it's her own fault. George said a dozen people asked to come with her, and she told them all no."

"She only told them all no because she has a crush on someone else who didn't ask her."

"Oh yeah: who's that?" Fred asked with disinterest.

"Come on Fred, it's you. She wanted to come with you, and she's upset because you're here with me."

"Why do you care? It was only a few months ago that she was making you feel the same way. Don't most girls like the revenge?"

"Not me. I hated the way that I felt watching her with you; I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone…it's the worst feeling in the world. I never wanted to be the cause of pain like that, but tonight I am."

"There's nothing you can do about it, K. You can't make her be happy or enjoy herself," Fred tried to console her. "What could you do; break up with me just to make her happy?"

"Well, I wouldn't quite go that far," Karen admitted. "But there is one thing I can do that I wish someone would've done for me. It involves you, though, so you have to be willing to help me."

"What is going on in that devilish mind of yours?" Fred asked with a smile.

Karen bent and whispered her plan into Fred's ear then pulled back to observe his reaction. "You wouldn't mind me doing that?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's purely platonic, and I know that. I trust you, Fred. Besides, it will make her night, and I just want to see her happy once tonight. Will you do it?"

"I don't see any reason not to, as long as you're sure it won't bother you."

"I'm sure," Karen smiled. "Now, I have to go put a suggestion in for you, and then I'll get out of your way."

After a few minutes, the Weird Sisters began a slower song more about friendship than love, and Karen stood against a wall to watch her plan go into action. She watched as Fred walked over to Angelina and bent down to talk to her. A moment later, Angelina accepted the hand Fred was offering, and the pair moved to the dance floor. Karen watched as the pair danced gently to the song and was amazed that she didn't feel any jealously despite what she had assured Fred. She was sure that this would make Angelina happy and maybe even allow her to move on. When the song ended, she saw Fred and Angelina hug before Angelina pulled Fred over to where she was standing.

"Thank you so much, Karen," Angelina whispered to her. "I don't know why you would do something like that for me, but I really appreciate it. We've fixed our friendship, and he's told me that I have to find someone who can care about me the way I deserve. I'm glad you already have, and I hope to be as happy as you are someday. Now, I think that this belongs to you." She guided Fred's hand back into Karen's, smiled at the both of them, then hurried over to Katie and Alicia.

"Thank you, Fred," Karen smiled.

"No, K: thank you," Fred replied, pulling her into a hug. "I have her back as a friend, and that means a lot to me. I love you."

"I love you too," Karen replied, sighing happily.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a voice suddenly rang out, and Karen and Fred looked up to see Dumbledore standing there. "I hope you have all thoroughly enjoyed this evening, and we should all give a round of applause for our outstanding band: the Weird Sisters!" The room erupted in cheers and clapping which lasted for several moments. "Now, it's getting close to midnight, but I think we have time for one more number to close out the evening properly. Everyone grab that someone special and get ready. I would like to close by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a good night!" More applause followed Dumbledore's speech as everyone made their ways back to their partners for the last dance.

"Shall we?" Fred asked, gesturing towards the floor.

"I would love to," Karen replied with a smile.

Fred pulled her back onto the floor and pulled her close as the song began to play. "Remember this song, K."

"Why?"

"I just have a feeling that we might be needing it again. This song really represents us, don't you think?"

Karen paused a moment and listened to the words.

_Nothing's gonna change my love for you_

_You oughta know by now how much I love you_

_The world may change my whole life thru_

_But nothing's gonna change my love for you!_

"I guess it does," Karen sighed, moving closer to Fred and holding him tighter. "I really like it, too."

"Like I said, I just have a feeling…" Fred trailed off and tightened his grip on her as the song continued.

Karen wished that song could've gone on forever. She was so happy in that moment: crushed against Fred's body and swaying gently to a song that seemed to express everything she had ever wanted to say to him. Sadly, the song did end, and the room applauded loudly then started to clear out. Fred wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her glued to his side as they moved with the crowd back into the main hall. Karen made to follow the crowd upstairs, but Fred held her back.

"I thought we could go for a walk outside just until the crowd clears out a bit," he said with a smile. "Come on."

Karen put her arm around his back and walked with him outside into the night air. It was cold against her bare skin but moving helped. Fred guided her out into a rose garden that had been set up just for tonight. They moved through the garden until they found a quiet spot away from any prying eyes and sat down on a bench. Now that they had stopped moving, the cold began to really get to Karen, and she shivered.

"Oh I'm so sorry, K! I should've thought about that; you must be freezing." He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders then rubbed them for a moment.

"It's alright, Fred. I'm alright," Karen smiled, pulling his jacket closer to her skin. She inhaled deeply; Fred's cologne was simply intoxicating. "I really had a wonderful time tonight," she whispered.

"Did you? I'm really glad," he beamed at her. "I know this isn't really your thing, but I tried."

Karen laughed. "Fred, you spoiled me rotten! I felt like a princess tonight; no one's ever made me feel like that before."

"You are a princess, Karen. You're _my_ princess. I love you so much; I wish I had more to give you. Sometimes I wonder why you're still with me; you deserve so much better than me." Fred turned from her and lowered his head.

Karen gently cupped his chin in her hand and turned him to face her again. "Frederick Gideon Weasley, I want you to listen very carefully to me. You are everything I have ever wanted, and I am the luckiest girl in the world to be the one you love. The only thing I want in the world, you've already given me; I don't need anything else. Do you understand me?"

Fred nodded and smiled. "I love you, Karen Bennet, remember that," he said, gently fingering the necklace he had given her that morning.

"I love you too, Fred," Karen whispered. She kissed him lightly on the lips. "Merry Christmas, darling."

"Merry Christmas, baby," Fred replied before kissing her much more deeply.

Karen responded to the kiss and wrapped her arms around Fred's neck, gently tangling her fingers in his hair. When they finally pulled away, she rested her cheek against his shoulder and gazed up at the stars with tears in her eyes. This had been the best night of her life, let alone the best Christmas. Fred had made her life so wonderful and happy that she couldn't imagine being without him. She wondered what she possibly could have done to deserve how happy she was in that moment, but she prayed that it would last. Unbidden, thoughts of her father and the giant secret she was keeping from the boy next to her entered her mind, and she was half tempted to tell Fred the truth, but she couldn't find it in herself to spoil the night. She was scared about what might happen, especially if the signs boded true; however, no matter what happened next, she knew Fred would be beside her, and that she would always have the memories of tonight: the best night of her life.

_**Hope you all enjoyed that! If you're interested, the song that they danced to at the end was Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You by George Benson. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can; it's about to get very interesting. Please review! **_


	10. An Evil Truth

An Evil Truth

The remainder of the year passed with little excitement aside from the second task and Fred and George's seventeenth birthday which Karen and Lindsay celebrated with a prank to rival anything ever seen at Hogwarts. Both boys agreed it was the best birthday they had ever had. However, as the third task drew nearer, things began to get, as Fred put it, weird. Karen began to act strangely, eating far less than normal and spending more time alone and less with her friends. Fred was extremely worried, but Karen insisted it was nothing. "She gets like this sometimes," Lindsay reassured him one day. "She'll come around, I promise."

Fred was less certain and continued to question Karen every chance he got. "Honestly Fred, I'm alright. I just have something on my mind, and I need to work it out. It's nothing to do with you, so don't worry about it, ok?"

"Tell me what it is, K; maybe I can help you. That's what you do in a relationship; you deal with things together."

Karen shook her head. "Not this, Fred. I'm sorry, but this is one thing I don't want help with. It's nothing personal, love," she continued, putting a hand on Fred's shoulder, "I just have to deal with this alone, alright?"

"I don't understand why," Fred pressed.

"It's fine, just trust me. I can handle it."

"Mate, if she says she can handle it, then leave her to handle it," George said when Fred continued to express his concern. "She's a tough girl; just leave her to work it out."

Finally, Karen's mood broke somewhat the week of the task. She started to eat normally again and spent a little more time in the common room, but she still refused to say what had been wrong. On the day of the task, the four spent the time after their exams together on the grounds just enjoying the nice day. "I wonder who'll win," Lindsay said after a while.

"It's got to be someone from Hogwarts," Karen said with confidence. "The others haven't had anything on us the whole time."

"If Cedric wins, I'm gonna pretend I was routing for Krum," Fred said with a growl.

"Fred," Karen said warningly. "You shouldn't hold Cedric that much of a grudge anymore. After all, he may have won that one match, but you got something he didn't get too, remember?"

"I know," Fred said with a grin, "but that match still stings…"

Karen rolled her eyes and shook her head but smiled anyway. "I just hope Harry does well," she said.

"Does he ever do anything else?" George asked with a laugh. "I mean, it's Harry. He always seems to find a way to beat the odds."

"Speaking of odds, are you two gonna be doing more betting tonight?" Lindsay asked.

"Of course we are!" the boys said together.

"We've raised so much money already, it would be insane to stop now," Fred said.

"Besides, we need a whole lot more if our shop's gonna get off the ground next year," George added.

"I just hope your mother doesn't kill you before she gets a chance to see it," Karen muttered.

"I heard that, Karen," Fred teased. "Don't worry about Mum. We've got a plan to keep it all quiet this time."

"You'd better, or this is gonna be over before it starts," Lindsay warned.

"We've got it all under control," George soothed before looking down at his watch. "We'd better get going if we want good seats tonight. Remember what happened at the last task."

"Yeah, I'd prefer being able to see tonight if you don't mind," Fred agreed.

"What's there to see?" Lindsay argued as they headed for the stands set up around what was normally the quidditch pitch but was now a large maze. "All they're gonna do is show off the champions, and then we're gonna sit there until they all come out. We don't get to see anything."

Fred and George stayed with the girls long enough to choose seats then they disappeared into the crowd to run their bets. Karen and Lindsay sat chatting with each other and those around them until just a few minutes before the task was set to start. "Where are those two?" Lindsay exclaimed, craning her neck in every direction looking for Fred and George.

"Who knows," Karen laughed. "They'll make it back in time, don't worry."

"Here we are!" George called, and Karen turned to see them climbing down the stands towards them. "Good lot this time, too!" he told them before sitting down next to Lindsay.

"Talk about cutting it close, you two," Karen remarked as the band located right in front of them began to play, signaling the start of the task.

All four clapped politely for Fleur and Krum, Karen and Lindsay cheered for Cedric (Fred and George flatly refused to), and they all went crazy for Harry. Once all four champions were inside the maze, however, everything was just as Lindsay had said: boring for the spectators. Karen and Lindsay helped Fred and George organize their betting materials then simply sat in conversation, waiting for the champions' return. After about half an hour, both Fleur and Krum had returned having sent up red sparks signaling that they wished to be rescued. "It's going to be Harry," Fred said with confidence.

"Definitely," George agreed.

"I hope so-ow!" Karen cried grabbing her left forearm suddenly.

"Are you ok?" Fred asked, instantly concerned.

"Yeah…I think something bit me; that's all," Karen replied, rubbing her arm.

Finally, after about another half hour, Harry and Cedric reappeared in the arena clutching the Triwizard Cup. All four friends stood up and cheered, but it didn't take long for the crowd to realize that something wasn't right. Neither Harry nor Cedric had moved, and Fleur had suddenly let out a horrible scream.

"What's wrong?" Lindsay asked George. "Why hasn't Harry got up yet?"

"I dunno, Lin," George said quietly.

Karen watched as Dumbledore hurried to Harry and Cedric as the Minister whispered something to Snape and McGonagall. Suddenly Harry's voice echoed throughout the arena; "He's back! Voldemort's back!"

The entire crowd fell silent as one, and no one seemed to be even breathing. Slowly, people began to mutter amongst one another in utter disbelief. Lindsay turned to George with a look of horror on her face. "He can't be back…right George?"

George didn't say anything but pulled Lindsay into a hug and allowed her to continue expressing her fear against his chest.

"Karen…are you alright?" Fred asked slowly.

Karen was staring straight ahead as her mind flew in every direction at the same time. She knew Lindsay hadn't thought as far ahead as she currently was, and she was glad for it. It was as though all her worst fears had been realized all the space of a few seconds. How could this have happened? It was all supposed to be over; she wasn't supposed to have to worry about him anymore, but now… She looked up at Fred with wide eyes and realized for the first time what could very easily happen now, and she began to slowly back away. It was all too much for her; she saw Fred reach out to her, but she turned on her heel and bolted from the arena.

"Karen! What the-come back here!" Fred called.

"Go get her, mate. I've got the other one," George said.

Fred nodded once then darted off after Karen. He wondered what could possibly be so wrong with her that she needed to run, and he also wondered where she had gone. Pausing to think for a moment, he realized exactly where she would have gone to be sure she was alone: the Room of Requirement. He hurried through the castle until he found himself faced with a blank wall. Closing his eyes, he focused on seeing his girlfriend so he could help her. When he opened his eyes again, a door had appeared. He slowly pulled the door open to see a comfortable room that resembled a condensed version of a house. After looking around for a moment, he saw Karen lying face-down on the bed in the fetal position with her arms wrapped around a pillow. He crossed the room silently and stopped beside the bed. Reaching out, he gently stroked her hair until she looked up to see him.

Her eyes were wide with apparent fear, and she was shaking slightly. "Fred?" she asked quietly. "What are you doing up here? How did you know where I would be?"

"I know you too well, sweetheart," he replied with a small smile. "As for why I'm here, I think you know the answer to that."

"You want to know what's wrong again, don't you."

"It would be nice to know, yeah," Fred agreed.

Karen bowed her head, and he heard her sniff once as though she were about to cry. "I'm torn between not telling you and being safe and finally telling you the truth and risking everything. This isn't an easy thing to admit."

Fred was slightly taken aback, but he sat down next to her and squeezed her hand. "Tell me," he said.

"Lindsay, do you know what's wrong with your sister?" George asked hesitantly.

"She's probably gone to get everything straight in her head. With him back, we're in a lot more danger."

"Aren't we all?" George asked, confused. "What's so different for you two?"

Lindsay bit her lip and looked away from him. "I want to tell you, but Karen said you'll leave us if you know."

"Nothing could be that bad," George declared. "I love you, and I want to know what's bothering you. What the heck is going on?"

"Promise you won't-"

"No matter what you say, I'm not going to move from this spot; I promise."

Lindsay took a deep breath. "It's our father…you remember what we've told you in the past, right?"

George nodded. "You always said he was a bit strict with you and that you weren't very close with him."

"Well, we weren't exactly lying; we just weren't telling you everything. You see, our father…he's, well he's…"

"Please tell me," Fred repeated when Karen remained silent.

Karen sighed. "It'll be easier if I start at the beginning. You remember what I've said about my father? Well, when Lin and I were little, we actually were close to him. He was the sweetest man, and we were such a happy family. He worked at the Ministry, and I can remember sitting on the front porch waiting for him to come home. Lindsay and I used to have races to see who could get the first hug. Then one day, something changed. He came home from work and walked right past us. At first, I thought it was just him having a bad day, but then he started yelling at Mum, and I knew something was really wrong; he never yelled at Mum. Later that night, I snuck back downstairs and saw them having a shouting match in the living room. Then I saw him pull up his sleeve and shove it at Mum. She screamed and ran out of the room. I cried out, and he turned to me with a smile like he used to have when he looked at me. 'Karen, come see Daddy's new tattoo,' he said. I walked over, and he grabbed my arm. 'I'm going to give you the same one so we match,' he said, but it sounded so evil. I fought him then Mum came running back in and pulled me away from him. She took me upstairs and locked herself in with Lindsay and me. We stayed like that for a couple days until he broke down the door and said that as long as we didn't try to run away, we'd be safe."

"Karen…" Fred said slowly. "What was the tattoo he was talking about?"

"I think you know that, Fred," Karen whispered. "My father is a Death Eater: one of Voldemort's followers. He kind of let up after Voldemort fell, but now…now who knows what he'll do."

Fred sat in stunned silence for a moment. "Karen-"

"Well what are you waiting for?" she cut across him. "Go on; run out of here and hate me."

"What the bloody Hell are you on about?" Fred asked.

"Did you hear what I just told you?" Karen asked incredulously. "My father is a servant of the most evil man in the world. You do not want to be around me…I'm dangerous."

"No you're not; well, not unless you're facing a Slytherin." Karen looked up at him with an expression of disbelief. "Karen, love," Fred sighed moving his hand from hers up to her cheek. "Just because your father isn't the best doesn't change who you are."

"How can you look at me the same way knowing that, though," Karen pressed.

Fred rolled his eyes in frustration, and his gaze happened to land on a vanity in the corner of the room. A sudden idea struck him. "Come with me," he said, pulling her over to it and forcing her to sit down. "Look at your reflection. Now, I don't care what you see at the moment; I'm going to tell you what I see." He gently ran his hands through her hair. "I see the same perfect hair that I run my fingers through all the time when you're stressed. It's so soft and shiny, and I love listening to you fight with it in the morning. I see the same lips that I love to watch laugh and smile but that also have the ability to keep me in some kind of line. They are also the lips that I've spent a good bit of time kissing and have given me a lot of happiness when they kiss me back. I see the same eyes that I have a tendency to get lost in quite often. You think that you hide everything so well, but I can always tell how you really feel just by looking in those eyes. I know it sounds so cheesy, but your eyes really are the windows to your soul. I see the same face that's haunted my dreams for months and will continue to do so for a very long time." He slid his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on her shoulder. "It's funny; everything I just said, I think every time I see you, and it didn't change because of what you told me. I see and love _you_, Karen. Who or what your father is doesn't matter to me. Can you believe that?"

Karen fought back tears and nodded vigorously. "Y-you promise you aren't going to-"

"I would sooner take one of Hagrid's blast-ended skrewts for a walk than leave you," Fred said firmly. He loosened his grip enough so she could turn around and pulled her into his arms. "I'll always be here for you."

Karen clung to his shirt and pressed her face into his neck. "I love you so much, Fred. You are, without a doubt, the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I love you too, K." They stayed that way for several moments until Fred forced himself to pull away. "Not that I mind being like this, but don't you think we should be heading back to the common room?"

Karen shook her head. "I'd like to stay here tonight if you don't mind; I don't want to face the other girls tonight."

"Then I'll stay with you," Fred grinned. "I'm not leaving you alone like this."

"I appreciate that," Karen smiled. "I hope all went well with George."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure Lindsay told George. She's been wanting to tell you both since we met, but I told her not to. I was afraid you wouldn't want to be friends with us if we told you."

"George'll be fine," Fred said with a wave of his hand. "It won't bother him any more than it bothered me. All it means is that we're going to be twice as protective of you now."

"Oh great," Karen said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Just what I need."

Fred pouted at her for a moment then suddenly got a peculiar glint in his eyes. Before Karen could react, he had scooped her up into his arms and spun over to where the bed was. "Fred what on Earth are you doing? Put me down!" Karen cried, clinging to his neck.

Laughing, Fred let his arms slide out from under her, and she fell flat onto the bed. He gently eased himself down so that he was lying on his side facing her. "What? I thought every girl's dream was to find a knight in shining armor that would protect her and sweep her off her feet."

Karen smiled. "I guess it is. That was always more Lindsay's thing than mine, though."

"You really need to loosen up and live a little," Fred reprimanded. "That's my new personal goal; I'm going to teach you how to enjoy yourself and stop worrying."

"You already have," Karen whispered before lightly touching her lips to his.

Fred slid his hands to her hips and gently pulled her closer to him. When they broke apart, he guided her head to his chest and gently held her as he stroked her hair. "You should get some sleep," he muttered, pressing a gentle kiss to her head.

"Where will you sleep?" she asked.

"Over on the couch. I won't be far away," Fred assured. "Is that alright?"

"Stay with me until I'm asleep?" Karen asked quietly.

"As you wish," Fred quoted from a movie Karen had shown him over Christmas.

"I love that line," Karen muttered, half asleep.

"I know you do," Fred grinned and continued to stroke her hair. The feeling of his arms holding her and her lying against his chest, trusting him and needing him, was so soothing. He closed his eyes and breathed in her perfume, smiling to himself. Without realizing it, he fell asleep right there with her.


	11. The Future is a Scary Thing

The Future is a Scary Thing

George awoke the next morning being roughly shaken by his girlfriend. "George…George wake up!" she hissed.

"What's a matter?" George said groggily. "Lin, what's up?" Her face was white with fear, and she knelt on the floor beside him wringing her hands.

"I can't find Karen," she cried. "She didn't come back before I went to bed last night, but I thought that might just be her and Fred up late talking, but she never came back; her bed hasn't been slept in!"

George rolled over to glance at the bed next to his own. Fred's was the same: empty and not slept in. He sprang out of bed and hurriedly threw on a shirt and jeans. "Come on," he said to Lindsay. "Let's start looking for them."

They spent the remainder of the morning searching all the normal places two people could be in the castle: the Great Hall, the library, the grounds, the quidditch pitch, and even Hagrid's hut, but Karen and Fred were nowhere to be found.

"Where to now: we've looked everywhere!" Lindsay said her concern evident in her voice.

George stopped moving and sat down on a stone bench outside to think. "Where would Karen have gone last night?" he asked finally.

Lindsay sank down next to him and thought for a moment before replying. "Well, she would've wanted to be alone; I'm sure of that."

"The common room's out then," George reasoned. "Someone might've walked in on her, and we already know she didn't go to your dorm." And then it hit him: the one place in all the school where Karen would've gone. "Come on, Lin!" he cried, leaping to his feet. "I know where they are, and this is going to be brilliant."

Karen woke up slowly and blinked her eyes several times before her surroundings came into focus. She realized that she wasn't in her dorm room and was slightly disoriented until she remembered the events of the night before and her wish to remain alone. She also remembered Fred saying he would stay with her, and she glanced over to the couch

he had said he would sleep on. When she didn't see him, she was slightly worried but then realized that something was strange. Her head didn't seem to be resting on a pillow, and a very familiar scent was surrounding her. She turned her head and saw her boyfriend sleeping peacefully beside her with his arm wrapped securely around her.

Smiling, she pushed herself up enough to be able to move but not so much that she would wake Fred up. Looking down at him, she realized just how lucky she was, how much she never wanted this to end, and how afraid she was that it would. She gently moved a piece of Fred's hair away from his face then ran her fingers gently down his cheek. "I love you," she whispered. "No matter what happens, I know I always will. You're everything to me…" Karen gently wrapped an arm around Fred's middle and laid her head on his shoulder, falling back into a gentle sleep.

"George," Lindsay panted as he dragged her through the castle, "where are we going?"

"It's called the Room of Requirement," he explained. "Fred and I found it once when we were running from Filch. It turns itself into a room with whatever you need at the time, so when Karen wanted a place to be alone…"

"She went there because the room gave it to her," Lindsay finished. "You think Fred's in there with her?"

"Wouldn't surprise me," George said with a smirk. "If I know Fred, and I do, he'll have got the truth out of her and stayed the night with her to prove he still cared about her."

"So," Lindsay began slowly, "this is another one of those ruin-a-cute-moment-between-our-twins prank, isn't it?"

George grinned evilly. "Uh-huh."

"Brilliant," Lindsay beamed.

A few minutes later, Lindsay and George were pacing in front of the blank wall that concealed the entrance to the Room of Requirement. As soon as the door appeared, George pulled the handle and cracked the door. He and Lindsay stuck their heads around the edge and peered into the room. They saw Karen and Fred still curled up together on the bed on the far side of the room, and they were almost tempted to let them be…almost. They crept into the room and gently shut the door behind them. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" George asked loudly.

Karen and Fred both jerked awake and cried out in surprise. When they finally got their bearings, Fred glared at his laughing twin while Karen buried her face in her hands to hide the blush forming there and to prevent herself from having to look into her sister's smirking face. "What the bloody hell was that for?!" Fred asked indignantly.

George roared with laughter at the expression on Fred's face. "Don't take it personally, Freddie ol' boy. It was just for laughs."

"Ha-ha very funny," Fred said sarcastically. "Mind leaving now?"

George threw his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, but just for the record, Lindsay and I were really worried until we figured out where you were."

"Thanks for the concern, now shoo!" Fred said shortly.

George rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Lin: let's get out of here."

"Ok!" Lindsay grinned. "But, in all seriousness, you two should really hurry up. Dumbledore wants all the students down in the Great Hall by one. I think it has something to do with Cedric."

"We'll be there," Karen said softly.

"See you later, then," Lindsay smiled before pulling George out of the room with her and shutting the door.

Once they were gone, Fred turned a sheepish grin towards Karen. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"For what?" Karen asked, trying not to laugh at the expression on his face.

"Everything. I shouldn't have put you in this situation. I was supposed to be sleeping over on the couch, but I guess I just fell asleep with you last night. I swear I didn't mean to! I was just so tired, and-"

Karen leaned over and kissed him hard so that he shut up. When she pulled away, his expression of guilt had been replaced by a look of shock. "Does it look or sound like I'm complaining?"

"Not…at…all," Fred gasped. "You are, however, making staying here sound very tempting." He pounced on her, knocking her flat on her back, and began kissing her again. Karen moaned and leaned further into the pillow. When they broke apart for air, Fred simply began trailing kisses down her neck causing Karen to gasp. Fred stopped, thinking he was hurting her, but…

"Why did you stop?" she demanded.

"I thought I was-wait, you liked that?"

Karen blushed deeper than ever. "Yes," she whispered.

Fred grinned. "I'll make sure to do it more often, then. Anyway, we should probably be going. Lin said that thing for Cedric starts at one, right?"

"Yeah she did. What time is it now?"

"Almost noon," Fred replied, glancing at his watch. "Let's get going, shall we?"

Karen pulled herself off the bed, crossed to the mirror, and quickly fixed her hair and make-up. She and Fred then left the room together.

The Great Hall was draped in black. The house tables were gone, and in their places were hundreds upon hundreds of chairs set up in long rows facing Dumbledore's chair. Fred, George, Karen, and Lindsay came in together. Most of the school was already there, but despite the hundreds of people congregated there, you would have thought the hall was empty; not a sound could be heard. The four friends filed into seats close to the front on Dumbledore's right. As Karen looked around the hall, she began to have a strange feeling but attributed it to the sadness of the occasion. After a few moments, Dumbledore raised his head to look at them all and began to speak.

"Today we acknowledge a really terrible loss," he began. "Cedric Diggory was, as you all know, exceptionally hard working, infinitely fair-minded, and most importantly a fierce, fierce friend. Now I think, therefore, you have the right to know exactly how he died."

Karen swallowed hard and heard Lindsay sniff beside her.

"You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore declared loudly. "The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this, but not to do so, I think, would be an insult to his memory. Now the pain we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me, reminds us that while we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one. In light of recent events, the bonds of friendship we made this year will be more important than ever."

Fred felt Karen twitch beside him and looked over at her. "You ok?" he asked, squeezing her hand gently.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said with a forced half-smile.

"Remember that," Dumbledore continued, "and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain. You remember that, and we'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest and brave and true right to the very end."

It was clear that this was the end of Dumbledore's speech, and everyone began to slowly get to their feet and leave. Karen watched as people left the hall in small groups and was surprised when someone caught her eye. As he was leaving, Draco Malfoy stared at her, and a voice sounded in her head, "Please meet me later…I want to talk to you…please."

Karen nodded once at him, and he left the hall. Fred turned to her again and put his arm around her. "You sure you're alright?"

She smiled at him. "I will be. It's just hard to get it all into my head, but I'll be alright. Could you maybe give me some time alone, though? I just need to-"

Fred put a finger to her lips. "I understand. Just don't be gone too long, alright?"

"I won't be," she smiled and kissed him gently before leaving the hall. Once outside, she began climbing the stairs in a great rush; she had to see her _now_! Karen fought the crowd and climbed all the way up to North Tower where Professor Trelawney resided. You see, while most students (including her sister) took divination for the easy grade and period basically off, Karen actually used divination quite often. One of Karen's best kept secrets was the fact that she was a seer: not a very good one as she couldn't control her visions, but a seer nonetheless. Professor Trelawney had taken a great liking to her and had more than once been a great help. Any time Karen experienced anything remotely resembling a vision, she came straight to Trelawney, and she helped her work it all out.

Finally reaching the trap door that led to the divination classroom, Karen knocked on it. "Professor Trelawney?" she called her fear evident in her tone. "Professor…its Karen and I really need to talk to you!"

The trap door opened, and Trelawney's face appeared looking just as concerned as Karen sounded. "Come in my dear," she said gently.

Karen finished climbing the ladder and crossed to her usual chair opposite Trelawney's in front of the fire. "What is it, my dear?" Trelawney asked, hurrying over to her. "What has happened to you?"

"I-I had another one of my visions, Professor," Karen said quietly.

Trelawney sat down opposite her and leaned in close. "What did you see?"

Karen shook her head. "I don't really know; it was so fast that I couldn't figure anything out for certain. It was just a flash."

"What was happening around you that may have caused this?"

Karen bit her lip and tried to remember the exact details. "I was downstairs in the Great Hall listening to Dumbledore's speech about Cedric."

"What was he saying, my dear? Think now…this may be very important."

Karen thought hard. "He was talking about the bonds of friendship we've made this year."

"Very well," Trelawney said with the air of a person taking details for later inspection. "Now, tell me everything about the flash."

"I was looking at the Great Hall when it happened, so I'm assuming that's what I saw in the flash because it looked very similar except that it was…well, destroyed. Everything was a mess!"

"What else was there?" Trelawney pressed.

"People…just groups of people everywhere, but it wasn't a good thing."

"How do you know?"

"I felt…pain. And not just any kind of pain…it was like nothing I've ever felt before. I don't know how to describe it."

"Were you the one in pain?"

"I don't think so, but it didn't last long enough for me to know for sure. I shouldn't have been so scared of a flash…I don't have enough information to be afraid."

"My dear," Professor Trelawney began, "in all the years I have studied the future and how to read it there is one thing I have learned that is a constant truth; the future is a scary thing. Those of us who are brave enough to face what we see and attempt to understand it are among the bravest of mankind. There is no shame in being afraid, but there is shame in running from it. You must face your visions and interpret them to the best of your ability. I know you have nothing further to tell me, and you are correct in saying there is not enough information to be afraid, but there is enough information to be cautious. You must let me know at once if you see anything further from this flash. If it is over the holiday, write to me here, and I will help you."

"Thank you so much Professor," Karen sighed, hugging Trelawney and getting to her feet. "I should be getting back; my-"

"-boyfriend will be concerned about you: yes, my dear, I know. Enjoy your holidays."

"Thank you," Karen smiled and descended the ladder. As she passed an alcove on the way back to Gryffindor tower, a hand shot out and pulled her into the alcove.

"Don't scream!" Draco Malfoy said quickly. "It's just me."

Karen placed her hand over her heart in an attempt to slow it down. "Don't bloody do that!" she hissed. "You scared me half to death."

"Sorry," Malfoy said quietly, "but I really wanted to talk to you. I actually wanted to apologize."

"Well that hasn't happened in about eight years, and-wait apologize?"

Malfoy looked down at his feet. "Yeah…I know I was just a kid and all, but I shouldn't have done that to you. You're my cousin and I love you…I still do."

Karen looked at Malfoy and felt her resolve break; she had never been able to stay mad at him for long. "It's…it's ok," she said finally. "I mean, I still don't agree with what you did, but I do understand why you did it. We were both just so scared…"

"I know, but you took all the blame for it. I should have stood up for you…I can't forgive myself for going along with it! I know what he must've done to you."

Karen winced at the memory. "It wasn't fun, but it would've been easier if you hadn't said what you did. I could've handled it if I'd known that you were still there for me. When I lost you…" she stifled her tears.

Draco pulled her into a hug. "I know, and I'm so sorry. But I'm here for you now. That's what I wanted to tell you; I'm here if you ever need me. Things are going to get difficult for us again, and we should at least have each other for support, right?"

Karen beamed at her cousin. "It feels so great to know I have you back, Draco. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, but just for the record, I have been paying attention to you. I was ready to pound Weasley to a pulp for hurting you last year, but I figured Lindsay probably had it all under control. Then I saw the two of you together at the Yule Ball. You make the perfect couple, Karen…you really do. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks Draco," Karen said with a slight blush. "I have to go now, or else Fred might send out a search party for me. Give Aunt Narcissa my love, will you?"

"Only if you give mine to Aunt Clarissa," Draco said with his trademark smirk.

Karen laughed. "Deal," she said and hugged him again this time giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Be careful this summer and write to us sometime. Father won't object to your letters."

"Same with mine," Draco said returning the kiss. "Be safe."

"We will be," Karen assured him then slid out of the alcove and off towards the Gryffindor common room.

"There you are!" Fred cried with relief when Karen finally climbed back through the portrait hole.

"Freddie here was getting ready to send out a search party," Lindsay teased from her place on the couch beside George.

"How did I know?" Karen cooed before kissing Fred and sitting down on his lap in the armchair.

"We've asked Mum if you two can just come to us this summer," Fred said quietly. "We think it might help."

"Oh Fred…" Karen sighed. "That would be fantastic! I really hope she says yes."

"She will, don't worry," George said. "She loves you two."

George's prediction came true two days before the end of term. Mrs. Weasley was positively elated at the prospect of having the two girls for the summer, and both Karen and Lindsay were relieved. The four spent the train ride home in much better spirits than Karen had thought possible under the circumstances, although she was more than a bit angry that Fred, George, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all jinxed the daylights out of her cousin. However, she made sure that she stopped in his compartment to reverse all the damage and let him know she would be with Fred and George for the summer before she left the train which earned her a genuine smile and a mental "Thanks. I'll write to you there, then. Be safe!"

As she met back up with the other three, she noticed Fred and George juggling a large bag of money between them and speaking quickly in low whispers. "What are you two up to now? I leave for five minutes and come back to find you knee deep in another scheme!"

Fred turned wordlessly to her and opened the neck of the bag to reveal what had to be at least a thousand galleons. "Harry gave us his Triwizard winnings," he said in disbelief. "He said it's to help start the joke shop."

"Oh my God…" Karen gasped. "That's fantastic, Fred! That's going to help so much! Here, give it to me; your mom will never expect me to have anything wrong." She hurriedly tucked it into her bag just as they stepped off the train. "Oh look there's your mum!" Karen pointed to a waving Mrs. Weasley, and the group had just started to move towards her when suddenly…

"KAREN! LINDSAY!" a voice yelled, and both girls felt a force like iron grip their upper arms.

"Mum?!" Lindsay cried in shock. "What the-Mum…let go of us!"

"Mum, what's wrong?" Karen asked, vainly trying to yank her arm out of her mother's grip.

Their mother looked at them with wild and terrified eyes. "He's back…the Dark Lord has returned, and you ask me what's wrong?! Karen have you lost your mind?! Your father will be worse than ever, and we're leaving right now."

"LEAVING?!" Karen, Lindsay, Fred, and George all cried at the same time.

"Where would we go?" Karen asked.

"Why would we go?" Lindsay piped up, looking angrier than Karen had ever seen her. "I'm not leaving George now or ever." As if to illustrate her point, she wrapped her arms around his waist, and he put his around her shoulders.

"I'm taking you to the French countryside. We'll be safe there, and I can arrange for you to attend Beauxbautons to complete your education."

"I'm not going to that school," Lindsay said defiantly.

"Mum, I really think you need to calm down and think about what you're suggesting," Karen said as calmly as she could. "You're asking us to uproot what we've spent sixteen years building. We have lives here now, and-"

"And you won't if you stay here!" their mother shrieked. "He'll kill you!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Fred growled, stepping up behind Karen.

Their mother scoffed. "You men are all alike; you pretend to be loving and kind, but then you'll turn on her when you find someone new who isn't as dangerous, and she'll be left all on her own…you'll both do it!"

Fred and George saw both Karen and Lindsay's eyes flash dangerously. "Don't you dare…" Lindsay began through gritted teeth.

"…insult our boyfriends again!" Karen finished, her voice rising angrily. "We're not leaving England, Mother. That's the end of it for us."

Their mother looked back and forth between her daughters. "You are going to come with me, now!"

Karen shook her head. "No we aren't. I am not afraid to stand my ground and fight him. I refuse to let him control my life!" Lindsay nodded her agreement.

"You are both fools," their mother whispered. "You would sacrifice your lives for men who will only bring you pain. Very well then, but don't come crying to me when they leave you." With that, their mother vanished.

"Are you both alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked from behind them.

All four turned and smiled at her. "We're fine, Mrs. Weasley," Karen assured her. "Can we go home now?"

Mrs. Weasley beamed. "Of course we can."

Fred slid his hand into Karen's as they walked across platform 9 ¾ together. "I'm sorry she did that to you. You shouldn't have had to make that choice."

"You know, I'm not sorry at all," Karen said with a light laugh. "She's always been like that about us dating. It took everything I had to get her to buy you two Christmas presents. She just couldn't accept that Lindsay and I could do better than she had. We have our own lives now, and if she doesn't want to be a part of that, then so be it. I still love her," she assured Fred, "but I'm not a little girl who will do whatever she says anymore."

"Me neither," Lindsay said firmly. "I wasn't going to go off to some French school and have all those stupid French boys staring at me!"

George grinned and tightened his arm around her. "Boy am I glad to hear that!"

"So," Karen began looking between the boys, "what are the plans for the summer? What are we making?"

Fred and George grinned and launched into a long description of every invention they planned on perfecting this summer, and Karen smiled. Professor Trelawney was right; the future was a scary thing. Every decision we make effects what happens to us down the road, and that can be terrifying sometimes, but the truth is, if we aren't brave enough to make the choice and move on, then the future will get us anyway. It's all about the attitude that a person takes into the choices: fear will bring nothing but continued fear. Karen knew that she had made the right choice where her mother was concerned, and while she still thought about the future, she was pretty sure in that moment that the vision of the four of them would be one people would be seeing for a long time to come.


	12. 12 Grimmauld Place

_**12 Grimmauld Place**_

Lindsay groggily opened her eyes and had to blink several times before everything came into focus. At first, she couldn't understand what had woken her up; she had been sleeping so soundly. Then, she glanced over at her sister's bed and found the source of her wake-up call.

Karen was thrashing around on the bed, her covers strewn on the floor and caught around her legs. Lindsay sighed; this was the third time this week she had been like this. She couldn't understand why Karen had all of a sudden had trouble at night, but it definitely worried her. As Lindsay was climbing out of bed to wake Karen up, she heard a sound behind her that made her jump in surprise. Karen was screaming.

Leaping out of bed, Lindsay tore over to her sister and seized her shoulders. "Karen! Karen wake up! Wake up!"

Karen continued to scream and fight against her sister.

"Karen for goodness sake, wake up! It's alright you're safe just wake up!"

Karen jerked awake but continued to look desperately around the room as though something was going to appear in a corner. The fear in her eyes was terrible, and Lindsay did everything she could to calm her down.

"It's ok, it's ok," she said soothingly. "Shhhh….you're safe. You're in 12 Grimmauld Place with the Weasleys and me. Nothing's going to hurt you here."

"Lin?" Karen asked desperately.

"Yes, Karen. I'm here," Lindsay said. "Are you alright?"

"It was terrifying!" Karen whispered.

"It's over now," Lindsay assured. "Whatever it was, it's all over."

"I know…" Karen said, her breathing finally beginning to slow down. "I'm sorry I woke you up again."

"Don't worry about me," Lindsay said with a smile. "I'm just worried that one night the boys are going to hear us. I know you don't want Fred to know."

"It's not that I don't want him to know," Karen said with a sigh, "it's just that I don't want him to worry. He does enough of that already."

"Really?" Lindsay asked climbing into bed beside her twin. "He doesn't seem too worried to me."

"Oh he is," Karen said. "Don't you notice how he looks over at me every time I even yawn? Haven't you seen how he almost never lets me into a room before they've cleaned out all the creatures or whatever else is in there?"

"Now you mention it…" Lindsay said slowly. "He's even crazier than George. At least he lets me help de-pest the rooms. Well, didn't you always say you wanted a guy that looked out for you?"

"There's a difference between looking out for me and babying me," Karen grumbled. "Maybe I shouldn't have told him about Father."

"Are you insane?" Lindsay asked. "If you hadn't told him about that, you would've lost your mind, and he would've figured it out anyway. It's better he heard it from you."

"I know, I know," Karen groaned, "I just wish he would trust me more. I can handle myself."

"But that's just it, Karen," Lindsay said. "He does trust you to handle yourself, but the point of having a great guy is so that you don't have to. Would you prefer a guy that did this instead?" She put on a face of fake terror. "Oh no there's a spider in that curtain! Karen, oh Karen save me!" She moved slightly behind her sister and used her as a shield.

Karen laughed at her sister's antics. "Oh Merlin no! I'd lose my mind if I had a guy like that."

"Then don't complain about Fred. He's just being a sweetheart. Let him go and enjoy it while it lasts sister!"

"How do you do that?" Karen asked, shaking her head.

"Do what?" Lindsay replied.

"Nothing fazes you! You just go with whatever happens and don't blink twice."

"Eh it's just my nature," Lindsay smiled. "You should really try it sometime. I think it would do you some good."

"It probably would," Karen whispered. Glancing at the clock, she continued, "It's late. You should get back to sleep."

"Will you be alright?" Lindsay asked.

"Of course," Karen assured her. "I'll be fine now."

Meanwhile on the floor above, Fred and George were having a rather serious wrestling match…

"George…get off me!" Fred hissed as he tried desperately to reach the door.

"Not on your life!" George replied, clinging tighter to his twin's arm.

"I heard her; she needs me!" Fred argued.

"Lindsay's with her, so I'm sure she's fine," George argued back.

"I'm her boyfriend!" Fred said indignantly.

"Yeah her boyfriend that hasn't left her alone since he found out the truth," George replied sternly.

Fred stopped fighting. "What are you getting at, George?"

"I mean that you need to give Karen her space, mate. You're probably driving her mental!"

"What are you on about?" Fred asked, still confused.

George rolled his eyes. "Look, ever since we got here you've been acting like Mum when Ginny was little. You don't even let her in a room until it's basically clean! That's gotta be driving her mad. She's a tough girl, Fred…you don't have to baby her."

Fred was silent for a moment. "You really think she's annoyed with me?"

"I think she may be getting to that point, yeah. You know how she likes to be involved."

"Yeah I do…" Fred admitted with a grin. "Sometimes I wish she'd be a bit more careful."

George wrinkled his nose at his twin. "Do you hear yourself?! Talking about 'being careful' is definitely NOT a Weasley twin trait. Careful is not in our vocabulary."

"I know it's not, but-"

"Fred, listen," George sighed. "I know you worry about Karen, but would you love her as much if she acted any differently or was any more careful?"

Fred thought about this for a moment, and then shook his head. "I guess you're right, George. It's part of her."

"Good," George said firmly. "Now, you can ask her how she slept in the morning and see what she does, but for now, get back to bed!"

The next morning, everyone came down for breakfast and began to plan their cleaning for the day. "That room next to yours needs doing," Mrs. Weasley said to the twins.

"Alright, we'll do it," George volunteered.

"Good idea," Mrs. Weasley agreed. "Why don't you have the girls join you? Where is Karen, by the way?" she added with a quick glance around the room.

"She was still sleeping when I came down," Lindsay said hurriedly. "I didn't have the heart to wake her…she's been having trouble sleeping lately.

"I noticed she was beginning to look pale," Mrs. Weasley said sympathetically. "The poor dear…"

Once everyone had finished their breakfast, they made ready to head upstairs for cleaning. Just as they were leaving: "Sorry I'm late!" Karen smiled as she glided into the room. "I must have slept through Lindsay leaving."

"It's alright, dear; have some breakfast," Mrs. Weasley smiled.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley." Karen sat down and began to eat.

Fred shot a glance at his twin and nodded.

"C'mon, Lin," George said quickly. "Let's get started on that room."

"We'll be up in a bit, alright?" Fred asked.

"See you," George winked and pulled his girlfriend from the kitchen.

Fred slid down a few chairs until he was next to Karen. "You alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, I'm fine," Karen said between bites of eggs. "I just overslept."

"You look like you could use a few more days of that," Fred commented.

Karen looked up at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Fred traced a finger lightly around her eyes. "It's all purple here…you look like you haven't slept in weeks, K."

"It's just because it's a new place. I'm like this every time I try to sleep somewhere new. It's normal, Fred…I'm fine."

Fred was silent until Karen stood up and took her dishes to the sink. "I heard you last night," he said finally.

Karen froze. "Y-you did?" she asked. "Why didn't you come bursting into my room, then?"

"I figured since Lindsay was with you, you'd be fine and that more people in the room would've just done more harm."

Karen turned to face him with a raised eyebrow. "Why don't I believe you?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh fine," Fred scowled. "George had me pinned to the floor to keep me from coming down, ok?"

"That's better," Karen smirked. "I'm honestly surprised George won the fight."

"Well, he said a lot of things I needed to hear," Fred admitted.

"Like what?" Karen asked, turning back to the sink.

"Like the fact that I've been smothering you," Fred said bluntly.

Karen remained silent.

"I have, haven't I?" Fred asked in a dejected voice. "I've been driving you mental."

Karen whipped around. "No you haven't," she sighed. "It was beginning to get on my nerves, nothing else."

"You aren't mad, then?" Fred asked with a gleam of hope in his eyes.

"Of course not Freddie!" Karen cried moving so she stood beside him. "I can understand the reasoning."

Fred grinned and seized her waist to pull her onto his lap. "So, now you think you can read my mind?" he teased.

"It's pretty hard to read a blank page," Karen giggled.

Fred clutched his chest in mock pain. "I'm wounded!" he gasped. "That was low, Karen Marie!" he scolded.

"Aw…did I hurt Freddie's ego?" Karen pouted. "I guess I could write to Gwen from Huffelpuff to make it all better. She's been just _dying_ to get her hands on you for _ages_!" she smirked.

Fred's face drained of all color. "You wouldn't…" he breathed.

Karen grinned wickedly. "Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't…do you really want to find out?"

"I would not come back alive from that," Fred warned. "That girl is scary!"

"And I'm not?" Karen countered.

"Oh you are…but you're scary because I don't know what to do with myself around you. She's just scary because she's off her rocker!"

Karen laughed and tightened her arms around Fred's neck. "At least you don't think I'm off mine."

"Well," Fred admitted, "you have to be at least a little bit."

"Why?" Karen asked, slightly affronted.

"Because you're dating me!" Fred ginned before kissing her then standing up with her in his arms. "Now, unless I am much mistaken, we have a room to clean."

"Why do I have a feeling there's something behind this?" Karen muttered.

"Whatever do you mean, love?" Fred asked in an overly innocent voice.

"I mean whenever you two volunteer to clean a room, it's because there's something illegal in there you want."

"Really, Karen: would George or I ever do anything illegal?"

Karen simply laughed in response before coughing the word, "Blackmail," under her breath.

Seemingly ignoring her comment, Fred continued into the main hallway. "Now," he said with the air of a person making a very important observation. "It does not make any sense to me for us to climb all of these stairs."

"Me neither," Karen grinned, catching on.

"Hang on tight, K…I don't want anything to go wrong," Fred warned before turning sharply on the spot. With a crack, both disappeared from the hall and reappeared seconds later in the room upstairs.

Lindsay shrieked in surprise and leapt into George.

Fred and George both roared with laughter at Lindsay's face, while Karen covered her mouth, desperately trying to hold back her own laughter.

"Fredrick Gideon Weasley you are such a-"

"Now, now, no name calling, love," George chided gently. "Besides, scaring you wasn't the point, it just happened to be a byproduct."

Lindsay slapped George on the arm before turning back to the set of drawers she was cleaning out.

"So, how far did you get?" Fred asked looking over the room.

"Not very," George admitted. "There's a lot of nasty stuff in these drawers, so it takes some time to go through."

"Anything interesting?" Fred asked in a voice of forced disinterest.

"Not so far," George replied casually.

Karen and Lindsay rolled their eyes at each other as Karen dove into the drawer beside her sister. "Honestly," she muttered, "if they make it through this year without being arrested, it'll be a miracle."

"That implies that we'd have to get caught!" Fred cried indignantly.

"Yeah, and that is not going to happen," George added firmly as he slid some object into his pocket.

"Point proven," Lindsay muttered, and Karen laughed as they continued to de-pest the room.

_**Hey guys! Wow…I bet you all thought I fell off the edge of the earth or something it's been so long! I am so sorry! I just couldn't think of anything for the longest time, but I promised I wouldn't stop until it's over, and I won't. I know this chapter was all fluff, but I thought that would be good, and it fills quite nicely. I won't take as long to update again. Thanks for sticking with me guys!**_

_**A special thank you to KarenIsAFanpire and to Veronica who gave me the push to keep this story going; this one is for you!**_


	13. Extendable Ears

_**Extendable Ears**_

Several weeks later, George and Lindsay were closeted away in his and Fred's room just before dinner. George was sitting on the floor working determinedly on a new joke product in front of him. Lindsay was busy scribbling out order forms at the desk behind him. As they continued to work, George suddenly let out a cry of frustration. "Damn!" he swore as he tossed his wand down beside him.

"What's wrong, love?" Lindsay asked as she continued to work.

"I can't figure this bloody thing out!" he fumed.

"Calm down, George," Lindsay soothed, setting down her quill and turning to see what he was working on. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to figure out the recipe for the antidote to the Puking Pastels," George sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But no matter what I try, it won't work! Where the devil is that idiot twin of mine?" he demanded.

"He's downstairs with Karen, I believe," Lindsay said.

"But I thought Karen was going to take a nap," George replied confused.

"She was, but for some reason, she sleeps better if Fred's in the room, so he went to join her," Lindsay explained with a shrug.

"Oh brother," George groaned, rolling his eyes. "Here I am slaving away on our career, and where is he? He's taking a nap with his girlfriend!"

"Oh relax George," Lindsay sighed. "It's not like he never helps you with this stuff. Besides, he never complains when you and I take a break."

"How would you know?" George asked.

"I asked Karen about it, and she said neither of them minded. Cut your brother some slack; my sister's a tough girl to follow around all day."

"Maybe," George conceded with a glance at his watch. "But he has to get up now."

"Why?" Lindsay asked in surprise.

"Because the meeting just started, and Snape's going to be here tonight," George said with a gleam in his eyes. "We have to try out the Extendable Ears."

"As long as your mother didn't put repelling charms on the door again," Lindsay warned.

"Well, let's hope she forgot in the rush," George said as he grabbed a few pieces of flesh-colored string and headed out the door.

Lindsay put the cap on her ink and followed George out onto the landing and down the stairs to hers and her sister's room. "Let me go first, will you please?" she asked George gently.

George bowed out of the way and allowed Lindsay to gently turn the handle and pry open the door as quietly as she could manage. Peering around the door, Lindsay gave her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness before she saw Fred sound asleep in the armchair in the corner while Karen was clearly passed out on the bed.

She glanced back at George and bit her lip. "They look so peaceful," she whined. "Do we really have to…"

"Do you want to deal with your sister if she misses the meeting?" George argued.

Sighing in defeat, Lindsay walked into the room and crossed over to Fred. She gently shook his shoulder until his eyes began to flutter open.

"What's a'matter?" Fred muttered groggily.

"It's almost time for the meeting," Lindsay whispered. "George figured you wouldn't want to miss it."

"Oh yeah that's right," Fred breathed, stretching his arms above his head. "I'll get Karen, and we'll be over in a minute."

Lindsay nodded and left the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Fred sighed and glanced over at his girlfriend. She looked so relaxed that he almost regretted waking her up…almost. He knew she was more into spying on the meetings than even he and George were and would kill him if he allowed her to sleep through it. He walked over to the bed and leaned down to gently shake Karen's shoulder.

"K," he whispered. "Sweetheart, it's time for the meeting."

Karen finally began to stir. Her eyes slowly fluttered open until she managed to focus on Fred's face, and she smiled softly. "Thank you for waking me up," she mumbled.

"I wouldn't have, but I know how you love spying on them," Fred admitted.

Karen chuckled and sat up. "I have to get the information somehow," she argued with a smile. "You know it won't come from your mother."

Fred rolled his eyes. "I swear she gets more and more difficult every year! I can't wait until we get a place of our own!"

"Enjoy the time with your parents, Fred," Karen said quietly. "You never know when you'll want it back."

Fred fell silent instantly and mentally slapped himself for stepping on that nerve again.

"Don't worry, you didn't offend me," Karen said, correctly interpreting the look on his face. "I'm just telling you."

Fred said nothing but followed Karen out of the room and onto the landing where their twins were waiting. "So?" Fred asked George once they were within earshot of a whisper.

"Give it a minute," George muttered as he let more and more string fall out of his hand. "We should be almost…what the bloody Hell?!" he cried, leaping into the air.

"What?" Lindsay asked sharply.

"Damn that was loud!" George hissed, massaging his ear.

"What was?" Karen asked impatiently.

"Was it the meeting?" Fred asked.

"No I didn't get down that far," George admitted. "It came from Ron's room if my calculations are correct."

"Give it here," Fred demanded and gingerly put the string close to his ear. "That's not Ron," he said finally.

"Let me," Karen said, and Fred handed her the string. She listened for a few moments before a smile spread across her face. "It's Harry!" she said excitedly.

"Alright they got him then!" Fred grinned.

"What's he yelling about?" George groaned still massaging his ear.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Fred suggested.

"Splendid idea, Fred," George agreed. He seized Lindsay's hand as Fred did the same to Karen, and the four of them disappeared with a crack.

They reappeared seconds later with another crack in Ron's room. "Harry!" George said with a grin.

"We thought we heard your dulcet tones," Fred added with a grin to match his brother's.

"Oh be nice you two," Lindsay chided as she hugged Harry.

"Are you ok?" Karen asked gently. "We heard about the Dementors."

"I'm fine except for the fact that I might never go back to Hogwarts, and Dumbledore forbade contact with me."

Karen noticed the glare that he sent at Ron and Hermione as he said this, and she bit her lip. "I understand why you're upset Harry," she began carefully, "but-"

"You shouldn't bottle up your anger like that, mate," Fred jumped in.

"Yeah," George laughed. "I think there were people five miles away who didn't quite hear you."

"Really funny guys," Harry said sarcastically.

"They don't mean anything, Harry," Lindsay soothed.

"Well, we do want him to pipe down a bit," George admitted.

"Yeah, he's messing with reception," Fred added gesturing to the extendable ear in his other hand.

"What are those?" Harry asked.

"Extendable Ears," Fred grinned. "George and I invented them." Karen and Lindsay cleared their throats pointedly. "Er…with Karen and Lindsay's help," he added sheepishly.

"They're so we can spy on the meetings downstairs," George provided. "They were great until Mum started putting repelling charms on the door once she figured out what we were up to."

At that moment, the door opened to reveal Ginny. "Oh hi Harry," she said with a smile. "I thought I heard your voice." She turned her attention to the twins. "It's a no-go with the Extendable Ears," she said sadly. "Mum put the charms up."

"Damn!" Fred swore. "This was a big one too!"

"If you had just let me play with them before you mass produced them," Karen chided.

"But that would've taken longer, and we would've missed all the meetings last month," Fred argued.

"Yes, but you could've heard this one!" Karen hissed.

"Oi knock it off you two!" George said before Fred could reply. "It doesn't matter now."

Ginny crossed the room and sat down on Ron's bed while Harry cast a glance around the room. "Where's Percy?" he asked.

At once, the feeling in the room went from relaxed to beyond tense. Ginny snarled, and Karen looked as though she would kill something. "Whatever you do, don't mention Percy again, mate," Ron warned.

"Why?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Because every time his name comes up, Dad breaks whatever he's holding, Ginny goes demonic, Karen freaks, and Mum starts crying," Ron replied simply. "Not to mention Fred getting all protective, which is not fun to see."

"What happened?" Harry asked overwhelmed by the amount of responses Percy had gained.

"Who can tell the story without blowing something up?" George asked.

"I'll do it," Lindsay said firmly.

Everyone looked slightly taken aback as Lindsay sat straighter and cleared her throat; rarely did Lindsay ever take the initiative. "We were all sitting in the kitchen at the Burrow for dinner," she began. "We had been packing all day and were really tired, but we were still managing to have a good time. At least…we did until he came home from work…"

_**FLASHBACK**_

_The kitchen door banged open to reveal a very angry Percy standing there._

"_Bad day, Perc?" Fred joked._

"_Did someone send you a cursed letter again?" George teased._

_Percy simply glared at them as he stormed across the kitchen and right up to their father. "How stupid are you?" he snarled._

_Everyone in the kitchen froze as what Percy had said sunk in._

"_How could you use your position at the Ministry to try and convince people to join this rebellion?" Percy continued ignoring the silence._

"'_Rebellion'?" Lindsay repeated, gaping at the older Weasley boy._

"_Yes rebellion you empty headed girl!" Percy snapped at Lindsay._

"_Hey!" George roared as Lindsay's eyes began to water. "Watch your mouth! That's my girl you're talking to!"_

"_Fitting," Percy snorted before turning back to his father. "How can you betray the Ministry like this?"_

"_Percy," Mrs. Weasley began in a soothing tone, "we've already told you that the Ministry is lying because they're afraid."_

_Percy shook his head in disgust. "No Mother, they're not; Dumbledore and Potter are the ones that are lying. Do you honestly believe the word of a fourteen year old boy over the word of the Minister?"_

"_Yes I do," Mr. Weasley said through gritted teeth._

"_Why would he lie about it?" Karen said suddenly standing up and glaring at Percy._

_Percy slowly turned to face her with a sneer. "Because he wants attention, of course. And you of all people should be on my side."_

"_Why the Hell would I side with the Ministry?" Karen hissed._

"_Your father would be so disappointed if he knew who you associated with let alone who you chose to date," Percy said with a look of disdain at Fred._

_It happened in a split second. Karen leapt across the room and slammed Percy against the nearest wall with her wand at his throat. "If you ever," she began in a deadly quiet voice, "and I mean EVER tell my father about Fred, I will personally make sure you never say anything again. Do I make myself clear?"_

_The room was silent again as Karen delivered her threat. Fred stood halfway between terror and pride at his girlfriend's power._

_Percy cleared his throat but maintained his face of superiority. "You're making the biggest mistake of your life, Karen. You would side with fools over your own father…"_

"_I would sooner die than side with idiots like you who blindly follow people like my father," Karen replied coldly._

"_That may be easier to arrange than you think," Percy hissed, and now it was Fred's turn to react._

"_GET AWAY FROM HER NOW!" Fred bellowed pulling Karen tight against him. "Don't you dare threaten my girl!" he growled._

_Percy shook his head and turned back to his father. "You see the crowd you've thrown yourself in with? Werewolves, half-giants, traitors, and fools: you're dooming yourself!"_

"_Get out!" Ginny snarled from behind the twins._

_Percy ignored his sister and turned to his mother. "I'm sorry, Mother, but I can't stay in a house that would betray the Ministry." With that, Percy turned on his heel, summoned a suitcase, and left through the backdoor._

_**End of Flashback**_

As Lindsay concluded her story, Karen's lips had pressed to the thinnest of thin lines, and Fred was busily rubbing her shoulders in an attempt to sooth her. "We haven't seen or heard from him since," Lindsay concluded with a shrug.

"Good riddance," George growled.

"Why would he do that to his own family?" Harry asked.

"Because he's an ambitious idiot that will do anything to further his own career," Karen snapped. "We're well shot of him as far as I'm concerned."

"Easy love," Fred whispered in her ear, and kissed her cheek. "Last thing we need is a murder here."

Karen snorted with laughter. "You weren't worried about that at the time. You were fighting me off so you could do it."

"Fair enough point," Fred conceded. "But he did threaten to kill you, so I was justified."

Karen rolled her eyes but smiled secretly as she turned to face Harry. "As you can see, it was an interesting evening."

"Sorry everyone," Harry said. "I won't mention him again."

"Good," Fred nodded. "Now c'mon! Let's go watch for the ending of the meeting!"

All of them left the room and quietly peered over the edge of the stairs. They watched as various people began to come up from the basement and out the front door. "Snape's in the Order?" Harry hissed.

"Yeah he is," Ron replied with a disgusted look.

"He never stays for dinner though," Lindsay added.

"Thank God," George muttered.

"He always has the best information," Karen pointed out.

"Yeah, but do you see the way he looks at us when he sees us?" Ron asked darkly.

"You mean like he wants to kill us, yeah," Fred said dryly.

"Oh stop it all of you!" Hermione chided. "He's here to help just like the rest of us."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Hermione," Fred rolled his eyes.

Mrs. Weasley suddenly appeared in the hall and beckoned them to come and join her.

Fred and George glanced at each other and nodded before disappearing with a crack. "Oh here they go again," Karen laughed.

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"You'll see," Lindsay sighed. "Let's get downstairs."

The six of them hurried down the stairs to Mrs. Weasley. "We're eating down in the kitchen," she said quietly. "And make sure you keep your voices down," she warned.

"Why do we have to-" Harry began, but…

CRASH

"Tonks!" Mrs. Weasley hissed.

"I'm sorry!" Tonks cried.

Suddenly, a pair of curtains flew open to reveal a very angry painting of a woman. "Oh no not again!" Karen groaned as she covered her ears.

"MUDBLOODS!" the painting screeched. "BLOOD TRAITORS, THEIVES, HALFBREEDS! DEFILING THE HOME OF MY ANCESTORS!"

"Somebody shut her up!" Lindsay yelled over the painting.

"SHUT UP YOU OLD HAG!" Sirius Black roared at the painting before spelling the curtains closed. "Sorry about her; she never really liked anyone, to be honest."

"That's convenient as no one likes her either," Karen replied as she pulled her hands away from her ears. Everyone chuckled quietly at Karen's comment as they continued to the entrance to the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley beamed as she watched everyone come into the kitchen; it was so nice to see everyone she cared about under one roof at last. She was also more than elated to see Fred and George finally being serious about girls especially such perfect ones as Karen and Lindsay. And speaking of Fred and George…

CRACK

"OH!" Mrs. Weasley yelled as Fred and George appeared out of nowhere behind her. "JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERYTHING!" she shrieked at the boys as they laughed and hurried over to their respective girls.

"Don't hide behind us," Lindsay smirked.

"Yeah, we're with your mother on this one," Karen agreed.

"The ultimate betrayal!" Fred gasped.

"And after everything we've meant to each other," George shook his head.

"Oh stop your pouting and sit down for dinner," Karen chided. "You know we love you."

"Of course we do," Lindsay agreed. "We're just getting tired of you two dropping in on us all the time!"

"Ok, ok, we'll cut down on the apparating," George caved.

"On you two at any rate," Fred muttered into Karen's ear.

Karen smacked her grinning boyfriend on the arm before taking her place at the table.

_**Sorry that took such a long time! This story is giving me fits right now, but it should start to pick up next chapter. Thank you for your patience and please bear with me. Feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns in a review because I really appreciate them. Hoping to see all of you soon, and thank you again for your patience!**_


	14. Karen's Boggart

_**Karen's Boggart**_

In the weeks following Harry's arrival, almost all of their time was spent cleaning and sanitizing the various rooms of the house. With Mrs. Weasley leading the charge, it meant that every child in the house fell exhausted into bed every single night. Fred was secretly happy about this because it meant that Karen slept easily through the night and was unbothered by her infamous nightmares. But Karen wasn't so positive.

Never before had exhaustion kept her night terrors at bay. She could easily remember weeks where sleep had been so scarce that she had almost fainted at breakfast. Still, seeing how pleased Fred was with her improved health, she kept her concerns to herself; there was no need to worry anyone over what was probably just a paranoid delusion.

Their relentless work schedule was interrupted by only two events near the end of summer: Harry's trial, which Fred, George, and Ginny celebrated to the point of everyone in the house wanting to throw things at them, and the arrival of the Hogwarts letters which put Fred and George in a state of anger and depression for the afternoon.

"What's the big deal about a bloody badge?!" Fred yelled suddenly as he threw his cloth back into the bucket which caused the soapy water to slosh over the sides.

"Calm down, love," Karen soothed, cleaning the water with a flick of her wand. "Your mum's just excited because it happened to Ron, that's all."

"Yeah, it's not a big deal," Lindsay added consolingly. "It just happened to be Ron that got it."

"So now Ron's better than us too," George groaned. "It was bad enough being in Bill, Charlie, and Percy's shadow, but this…"

"You are both galaxies above Percy," Karen said firmly. "At least you two know where your loyalties lie."

"Yeah, I don't see your mum making a fuss about Percy anymore, do you?" Lindsay pointed out.

"Oh she does, just in a different way," Fred sneered. "She talks about how sad it'll be if something happens and we never all make up."

"Well…" Lindsay said bracingly. "That's a natural mother instinct. You can't expect her to just-"

"He insulted Dad and abandoned us as the enemy!" George seethed. "What more does he have to do to prove to her that he wants nothing to do with us?"

"She wasn't saying your mother is right," Karen tried. "She was just saying that-"

"I mean are we that bad?" George asked.

"No of course you're not!" Lindsay cried desperately.

"Then why doesn't she treat us the same?" Fred demanded. "She encourages everyone else in the family except for George and me. And don't deny it!" he added pointing at Karen. "You know we're the only ones she comes after for our career choice."

"That's just because she's worried it won't be enough to sustain you," Lindsay said. "She just wants you to be taken care of and happy."

"So now she doesn't think we're smart enough to run a shop," Fred said sarcastically. "That's way better, thanks."

"That's not what I…oh you two are just impossible!" Lindsay growled in frustration.

"Oh so now you're on Mum's side?" George shot at her angrily.

Lindsay gaped at George as he continued to fume.

"No we're not!" Karen replied firmly. "You just refuse to listen to reason because you'd rather wallow in self-pity!"

"That's rich coming from the girl that hid in the Room of Requirement for twelve hours because her daddy's Voldemort's right hand man," Fred snorted.

Lindsay gasped just before two very loud cracks sounded in quick succession. The first was Karen's hand connecting with Fred's cheek, and the second was Karen disapparating from the room.

"Brilliant…just bloody brilliant," Lindsay muttered under her breath, and with a pointed look at both boys, she too disapparated.

Fred blinked several times before finally raising a shaking hand to his now throbbing cheek. He turned his stunned stare to his twin who had a very similar expression on his face. "What the bloody Hell just happened?" he muttered.

"Karen and Lindsay sided with our mother over us," George whispered. "I can't believe it…"

Fred gingerly touched his cheek and hissed in pain. "What do we do now?" he asked.

George shrugged and seized the nearest cloth. "We were upset, and they should've been on our side…maybe that should be that." He attacked the case they had been cleaning with a new vengeance. "Maybe we're better off a duet, bro."

Fred pondered his brother's words. He, too, was angry at the conversation that had passed. Karen, as his girlfriend, should have taken his side. After all, when she had told him about her father, he had done nothing but assure her that her fears were unfounded. Maybe George was right…

His head turned suddenly upwards as he heard the unmistakable sounds of Karen's voice through the ceiling. She was obviously upset as he heard the sound of heavy objects being flung across the room, but when that stopped, he heard her screaming sobs that meant only the deepest emotional distress. Try as he might to stay angry, he felt the undeniable twinges of guilt as her sobs wrenched at his heart.

Dinner that night was a strained affair to say the very least. Although everyone present was too busy fawning over Ron and Hermione to notice, Fred and George stayed at one end of the kitchen while Karen and Lindsay pointedly stayed at the other end. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement for the four of them to not speak of their earlier row, but the tension between them was thicker than it had ever been.

Karen had attached herself to Mrs. Weasley early on in the evening, but she always kept an eye open for a way to leave the kitchen early. She hated not speaking to Fred, but she couldn't keep his final comment from replaying in her mind. How could he have said that to her? Didn't he understand how much of a touchy topic that was with her?

"Well I'm going to go and tackle that boggart!" Mrs. Weasley said, breaking in on Karen's thoughts.

Seeing her chance, Karen seized Mrs. Weasley's arm. "Don't bother, Mrs. Weasley," she smiled. "I'll go do it for you."

"Oh dear I don't mind," Mrs. Weasley argued gently.

"No it's alright," Karen insisted. "I'm a bit tired anyway, and this is a celebration for your son; you should stay. I'll take care of it."

"Alright dear if you're sure," Mrs. Weasley finally caved.

Karen smiled and hurried out of the kitchen. Once she was in the hall, she forced herself to take a shaky breath. She missed Fred and wanted nothing more than to tear back into the kitchen and kiss him forever, but Lindsay's words rang in her ears. "That one he has to apologize for…you can't just let everything go to keep a relationship alive."

Fighting tears, Karen forced herself away from the kitchen and up to the drawing room where the boggart was waiting. Once inside the drawing room, Karen pulled out her wand and approached the cabinet the boggart had taken residence in. With one last calming breath, she pointed her wand at the door, and it flew open.

Karen gripped her wand tightly in preparation for whatever the boggart would turn into, but nothing could have prepared her for what it did become. She gasped as she saw a tall and serious looking man emerge into the room. He was dressed in perfect dress robes covered with a long black cloak. His once warm eyes were cold and his smile had morphed into an evil smirk.

He moved slowly across the room towards her, and Karen felt herself unconsciously backing up to the wall until she could go no further. The man continued to advance on her until he was only a few feet away. When he stopped, he stared into Karen's frightened eyes and sneered. Standing straight, he spread his right arm then lowered it to reveal Fred with his arms wrapped around Angelina Johnson. As she watched, Fred glanced over his shoulder and sneered at her before pulling Angelina in for a deep, passionate kiss.

Karen gasped in pain and sank down the wall while tears rolled down her cheeks. The man smirked even wider before raising his right arm. When it lowered, she saw Fred lying dead on the floor, his eyes wide and empty. Karen screamed out in horror, and the tears came even faster now. The man before her began to laugh silently at her.

Karen couldn't tear her eyes away from Fred's unmoving body as she continued to scream and cry. Suddenly, several pairs of footsteps could be heard thundering up the stairs towards the drawing room. The door to the right of Karen thudded open to reveal Lupin followed closely by Mrs. Weasley, Moody, and Fred looking terrified.

"Karen what is it?" Lupin cried as he hurried over to her.

Karen did not move, but Lupin followed her eyes to the boggart that was still laughing silently at her. Lupin's lip tightened as he waved his wand, and the boggart became the full moon. Another wave of his wand, and the boggart disappeared.

"Karen, it's alright…he's gone," he said soothingly as Karen continued to shake and cry on the floor.

"Oh the poor dear," Mrs. Weasley cooed from the door, but Moody stopped her from entering the room.

"This is a job for someone else," Moody growled with a pointed glance at Fred.

Fred didn't need telling twice. All thoughts of their argument earlier had vanished the moment he had heard her screams echo through the house. He eased his way into the room before hurrying over to Karen's side. Kneeling beside her, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Karen…" he said apprehensively. "Are you alright?"

Karen's head flew around to face him, and her eyes stared as though she had never seen him before.

"K, it's me, I'm alright," Fred soothed moving his hand to her cheek. "It was just a boggart. I'm fine and right here." Karen continued to shake as she looked him up and down. Fred slid his arms around her and pulled her to his chest.

Once she felt herself in Fred's arms, Karen broke down into tears again. She clung desperately to Fred's shirt and sobbed openly.

"Shhh…" Fred soothed gently. "It's alright, love, I'm here. You're safe, and I'm safe…it's alright."

"Let's give them some privacy," Lupin advised and ushered everyone out the door before pulling it closed behind him.

Fred continued to stroke Karen's hair as though no one had left. He knew he needed to get his own head on before he could help the frightened girl in his arms. He had just seen himself snogging Angelina again, and he had also seen himself dead. That had been a weird experience to say the very least! But who was the man that had Karen so terrified?

"Love," he whispered gently. "Karen look at me, please." Karen raised her head to look him in the eye while tears continued to roll down her cheeks. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Karen began to tremble again, and she shook her head violently before attempting to push away from him.

"Karen what's wrong?" Fred asked in shock as he struggled to hold onto her.

"Y-you don't c-c-care!" Karen sobbed still trying to separate herself from his grip. "W-why should I t-t-tell you?"

"Is this about earlier?" Fred sighed. "Please, Karen, you're obviously terrified, so tell me what happened, and I promise to try and understand."

Karen laughed bitterly. "W-what's to understand?" she choked. "The b-boggart turned into my father showing my b-both my worst fears: y-you l-l-leaving me, and y-you…you…"

Fred pulled her flush against him again and struggled to not cry himself. So that had been her father…no wonder she was terrified of him. And to know that her greatest fears were him leaving her or dying…he felt horrible for everything he had said to her earlier. He had forgotten just how sensitive Karen was with that topic.

"Karen look at me, I'm begging you," Fred whispered still trying to keep his tears in check. When she finally looked up, he couldn't hold back anymore. "I'm so sorry for what I said! I'm so stupid to have gone there, no matter how upset I was! That was so out of line, and I can't apologize enough. What you're dealing with is so much more serious than a stupid little badge. I'm sorry I forgot that."

Karen stared into Fred's eyes for a moment before a small smile crept onto her face. "Oh Fred…why can I never stay mad at you?"

Fred looked at her hopefully. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

Karen laughed and wiped her eyes. "Of course it does. I love you, and forgiveness is what love's all about. I know you were just upset and didn't mean it, and I don't blame you for being upset. Your problems are just as serious as mine, and we have to work through them together. That's a relationship, Freddie."

Fred grinned and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so glad we've straightened that out," he said into her hair.

"Any particular reason?" Karen smirked.

"Yeah, I missed you!" Fred cried before kissing her soundly. "Now, let's get you upstairs and into bed; you've had a very long day."

In response, Karen snuggled into Fred's chest and tightened her arms around his neck. "Be my guest," she mumbled into his shirt.

Fred laughed before disapparating out of the room and into Karen's room which was, thankfully, empty. He carried her over to her bed and sat her down. "Good night you," Fred grinned as he kissed her lightly on the nose.

"Good night," Karen smiled back. "Before you go to bed, could you maybe try to fix things between Lindsay and George? I would feel awful if they broke up over this."

Fred nodded firmly. "I'll do everything I can to reason with him," he promised. "And if that doesn't work, I'll threaten to slip a Puking Pastel into his juice if he doesn't snap out of it."

"What's so bad about the pastels?" Karen asked with a knowing smirk.

"We haven't figured out the antidote yet," Fred winked. "That'll get him to listen!"

Karen laughed and hugged Fred. "Let's never fight again," she suggested.

"I second that motion," Fred agreed firmly. "Now, off to bed you. I have couple's counseling to do."

"Good night!" Karen called as Fred left the room, stopping to blow her a kiss just before the door clicked shut.

Karen sighed and readied herself for bed. Her day certainly had been a stressful one, but she was happy with the ending. Fred still loved her; that was good. But unbidden, the image of her boggart crept back into her mind as she flicked off the light. Just the reality of the creature had made her shudder; she had been convinced Fred was gone. How would she react if it really happened?

"No!" she told herself sternly. "You will not think like that! There's no reason to panic...you haven't even seen him since Voldemort returned. Just relax, and everything will be fine."

With that thought, Karen climbed into bed and pulled the covers up. Despite her positive thoughts, Karen felt a strange unease as she settled herself to sleep, and she felt a strange tick in her mind as she closed her eyes almost as though there was someone watching her…

_**Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it shouldn't be too long before I update again. What do you think about her boggart? Will George and Lindsay make up? And who or what is watching Karen? Leave comments/questions/predictions in a review because I love that stuff! Thanks guys, and I'll see you all soon!**_


	15. UPDATE

To the loyal readers of this story:

I know it has been forever since I updated this story, and for that I do apologize. I have not forgotten this story nor have I abandoned it. I started this story years ago when I didn't fully understand how to write a solid story over many chapters, but I have learned so much over the three years I have been writing on this site. Looking back at this story, I find myself cringing in many places, and so I have been trying to think of a way to save it.

It comes down to two options, and this is where you all come in. I can either continue this story the way it is and try my best to pull it together for you, or I can start it over from the beginning. This would mean the same characters but a slightly different story line to get them where they are now. I don't mind rewriting this, but I wanted to get your opinions before I made my final decision - after all, you are the ones reading it.

Just let me know (either through review or PM) if you would rather I just continue or start over. After I've heard from you, I'll let you know my decision here one way or another. Thank you so much everyone!

Karen Weasley


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